Netball: Mystics plot their revenge over Magic's high risers

Noeline Taurua. Photo / Greg Bowker

It's take-two for the Northern Mystics tonight as they get another crack at knocking the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic off their pedestal.

The two sides meet for the second time this season in tonight's seventh-round ANZ Championship clash at Mystery Creek.

Widely touted as the likely successors to the Magic's mantle as New Zealand's top team after strong off-season recruiting, things haven't gone according to plan for the Mystics, who went down by nine goals when the pair met in round three.

That loss was a major blow for the Mystics. They had fancied their chances of pulling off an upset and were bitterly disappointed not to have put on a better showing.

Magic coach Noeline Taurua is wary of what a wounded Mystics side are capable of this time.

"They will be keen to do well for their own pride because I know they weren't happy with the loss when we played them last time," said Taurua.

"The Mystics have got a lot of firepower and if they play together as a team they have the potential to beat anyone."

With a three-win, three-loss record and sitting seventh on the table, the Auckland side are at the crossroads of their season and need to keep winning to stay on track.

But despite her team's precarious position in the league, Mystics captain Temepara George is comfortable with where her side are at.

After backing up their spirited loss to the Melbourne Vixens with a handy win over the Canterbury Tactix last week, George believes the Mystics are beginning to find their form.

"I'm pretty confident [about] where we are at the moment, especially after that Vixens game, I think we took huge strides in the Vixens game, we just had a couple of lapses," said George. "I think that's the story for all New Zealand teams at the moment, it's about getting that consistency."

The dynamic midcourter said after her side's disappointing performance against the Magic back in round three, there is a lot of resolve to "right the wrongs".

"We didn't really show what we were capable of and I think that we've made huge strides since then. We've done our homework, we've gone back and looked at the video and I think it's only small changes we need to make, especially in our defensive game ..."

The Magic side, which is spearheaded by Silver Ferns stars Casey Williams, Laura Langman and Irene van Dyk, are fourth on the table with four wins and a loss while also having a game in hand.

The Canterbury Tactix crashed to a new low in the transtasman league as Southern Steel utterly dominated their South Island derby match 66-38 in Christchurch on Saturday.

The visitors were in command through all parts of the court against a Tactix side whose confidence appears wafer thin after suffering a sixth successive loss.

Since opening their campaign with a victory over the Central Pulse, the Canterbury side's stock has declined and they were never in the hunt against a slick Steel side.

In tonight's late game the Queensland Firebirds take on the West Coast Fever in Brisbane.

* Sydney shooter Catherine Cox consigned Melbourne to their second straight loss with a stunning performance as the Swifts ran out 56-42 winners in last night's top-of-the-table clash.