Netball: 'Now is the right time,' says Mystics' new import

Mystics new import Serena Guthrie. Photo / Getty Images

It took Serena Guthrie several years to gain a transtasman league contract with the Northern Mystics, but the English midcourter is glad of the enforced wait.

Guthrie is to make her ANZ Championship debut on Monday night when the Mystics open their season against the Tactix in Christchurch, becoming the 11th English international to play in the league.

While she has been trying for years to break into the competition, Guthrie believes this season she is in a better position to make an impact in the league.

"It is something I've been wanting to do for a while, but I really feel like now is the right time," the athletic midcourter said.

"My game has matured and I'm more prepared for the challenge of playing in the best netball league in the world - I know it's going to be tough."

The fact it has taken Guthrie so long to win a contract is more a reflection of her position than her talent.

Teams can have only one import player, so the spot usually goes to a shooter or defender. But after Diamonds' defender Julie Corletto returned to Australia at the end of last season, they opted to bolster their midcourt, bringing in the 25-year-old to cover wing defence and centre.

The transtasman league season opens today with the Magic taking on the Thunderbirds in Adelaide.

After winning the crown in 2013, the Thunderbirds slumped to an eighth-place finish last season after an awful injury run in the midcourt.

But this year, they have bolstered their defensive clout by adding English international Eboni Beckford-Chambers from the West Coast Fever.

That inclusion initially looked to be at the expense of team's long-serving shooter and former Jamaican international Carla Borrego, but the Thunderbirds last week exploited a loophole in the rules to get Borrego back into their line-up after her Australian citizenship came through.

Borrego was named as a "permanent replacement player" for young shooter Georgie Virgo.

Once teams have submitted their squads to the transtasman league office, it was thought changes could be made only in case of injury, illness or pregnancy. But transtasman league rules also allow players to end their contracts "by mutual agreement".

The purpose of the clause is mainly for the protection of the players. As most athletes in the league are not making a fulltime living from netball, the clause allows them to quit a contract for personal reasons, or to pursue other work opportunities. But the Thunderbirds have exploited the clause for their own ends.

ANZ Championship general manager Andy Crook said the Thunderbirds followed the correct process under player replacement rules, so there was little the league office could do to prevent the change.

"It's legitimate under the rules and it's something we can't stop," said Crook. "It's a bit of an anomaly to be perfectly honest."

"The termination of [Virgo's] contract isn't unusual, I guess it's the circumstances around the replacement player that is more controversial."

Today's match in Adelaide is the first of three all transtasman encounters over the weekend. Tomorrow, the Pulse take on the Vixens in Melbourne tomorrow, and the Steel will host early title favourites the Swifts.

The powerful Pulse line-up's main shortcoming last season was their inability to beat the Australian sides. The Wellington side believe they have addressed that in the offseason and will be looking to prove from the outset they have made gains in this area.

ANZ Championship

Round 1

Today:

4.18pm Thunderbirds v Magic, Adelaide.

Tomorrow:

2.18pm Firebirds v Fever, Brisbane; 4.18pm Vixens v Pulse, Melbourne; 7.10pm Steel v Swifts, Invercargill.

Monday: 7.40pm Tactix v Mystics, Christchurch.