Netball: Mystics miffed at six-week wait for next Aussie match

After coming close to breaking their Australian hoodoo last weekend, the Northern Mystics are disappointed not to get another crack at an Aussie side for another six weeks.

Over the next five rounds, the ANZ Championship transforms into quasi-domestic championships, with the five New Zealand teams going head-to-head, while the five Australian sides do the same across the Tasman.

This may be of welcome relief to some Kiwi fans after Australian sides made it a clean sweep in round four in a weekend of transtasman match-ups. But despite the miserable run of results for the New Zealand teams across the Tasman, the Mystics are frustrated they have to wait a while to get another chance to test themselves against the Australians.

The Mystics came very close to pulling off an upset against the defending champions last week and of all the Kiwi sides to play on Australian soil in round four, the Auckland side seemed to cope best with the oppressive Australian defensive style and difference in umpiring interpretations.

It was in marked contrast to their disjointed and undisciplined performance the previous week, when they suffered an embarrassing 11-goal defeat at the hands of the West Coast Fever in Perth.

While bitterly disappointed her side could not get over the line against the Swifts, captain Temepara George was pleased with her side's obvious improvement from previous rounds.

She believes the Mystics have learned what it takes to foot it with the Australian sides.

George wishes her team could have more opportunities to test themselves against the Aussie teams, instead of meeting them only once.

"It would be really neat if we could play [the Swifts] again. We play the New Zealand teams twice, but we know what the New Zealand teams are about and playing the Australian sides always adds that extra challenge, so it is disappointing we don't meet them again this season," the energetic midcourter said.

"Now we have to wait a while before we get a chance to play that Australian style again, which is a shame, after last week we're all like 'bring it on'."

For the next five weeks the big challenge for the Mystics will be trying to combat the New Zealand teams that know their game so well and improving their lowly position in the standings. They have a good chance to do so on Monday night when they take on the Central Pulse, who are still searching for their first win in the ANZ Championship.

Regardless of the Wellington side's woeful record, Mystics coach Te Aroha Keenan believes the Pulse will present a stern test for her side.

"The Pulse aren't going to be easy, we're only just marginally ahead of them on the points table, and this will be one they think they can take," said Keenan.

After leading by as many as nine goals early in the game, the Auckland side only just managed to scrape past the Pulse in their round two match-up and Keenan is hoping for more consistency this time.

"I'd like to see that we can play well against them for more than just one quarter, which is what we did last time," she said.

The Waikato/Bay of Magic kick off the round five action today when they take on the Canterbury Tactix in Christchurch. After being outwitted by the Queensland Firebirds last weekend, the Magic will be looking to bounce back.

An epic battle across the Tasman is likely to ensue tomorrow when the Melbourne Vixens meet the Adelaide Thunderbirds for the second time this season. The Vixens came out on top 49-43 in Adelaide two weeks ago, but the Melbourne side have never beaten the Thunderbirds on their own turf.

In the other match-up in Australia, the West Coast Fever will be looking to notch up their third-straight win when they meet the NSW Swifts.

ROUND 5

ANZ Championship

Today: 2pm Canterbury Tactix v Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic, Christchurch.
Tomorrow: 4:30pm Melbourne Vixens v Adelaide Thunderbirds, Melbourne.
Monday: 7pm Central Pulse v Northern Mystics, Wellington; 10pm West Coast Fever v NSW Swifts, Perth.
Bye: Queensland Firebirds, Southern Steel.