No New Zealand netball team has ever beaten the Firebirds in Australia. So how will the Mystics do it in today's big final? Michael Burgess consulted the experts - and came up with seven answers.
Searching for a chink in the Firebirds' armour is like looking for a Julia
Gillard fan club in Queensland, but there are ways.
1 Steal from the Steel
Former Silver Ferns coach Yvonne Willering feels the Mystics must take a leaf out of the Robyn Broughton playbook and aim for possession-based netball.
"As they have done in the last few weeks, the Mystics need to play rather conservatively," says Willering. "They showed against the Swifts and Magic that they were prepared to take as long as necessary to get to the hoop. Against the Firebirds, it is imperative that they score off their own centre passes."
In past years, the Mystics were known as a team that could be reckless with the ball, and tended to throw away chances (and ease the pressure) with low percentage plays. Coach Debbie Fuller demanded more discipline in that area this season - and the team has delivered. While they can't sacrifice their trademark flair, the Mystics will need to be extra careful with possession today.
2 Art from the start
"The Mystics must come out of the blocks fast," says former Ferns centre Sandra Edge. "They need to get confidence early and get everyone into the game from the start."
Edge also points out that it is always easier to try things, to add some variation at the start of the game than late in a match, when the pressure tends to wind up. Willering agrees that dominating the first two quarters are crucial.
"The Firebirds have barely been behind on the scoreboard all season.
"It would be a foreign feeling for them and interesting to see how they react. Pressure can do strange things."
3 Look down the court
Edge wants the Mystics feeders, especially Temepara George and Megan Dehn, to "look down the court" as much as possible, rather than seeking the sideways pass immediately.
"It will look crowded and congested," says the former midcourt maestro, "but you never know when that gap will open up. You need to have a look - keep your eyes peeled - and look again. It may be only a millisecond but there will be a space."
Edge points out while square passes can be good to open up new angles, it also means the attackers will constantly need to readjust their runs, which can make it harder to find space.
4 Abandon Aiken; mark Medhurst
Firebirds goal shoot Romelda Aiken is almost unstoppable when she gets the ball, having shot a league-high 488 goals going into this match.
If she misses, the 1.96m Jamaican usually gets a second chance - she has taken 63 offensive rebounds, 23 more than the next best.
Attacking partner Natalie Medhurst, named joint league MVP last week, has the whole package. She can shoot from distance, has great movement, outstanding vision and has provided 133 assists for Aiken.
"You can't double-team Aiken," says former Silver Fern defender Bernice Mene.
"It is important to disrupt the ball further down the court and Medhurst is the real key. The Mystics need to do some work on her at the beginning of the game. They need to get into her head; get her doubting herself, make her tired and let her know you are there. She hasn't looked that fazed all season."
5 Consistent pressure
"Everyone can get rattled if there is enough pressure," says former Fern Tracey Fear. "The Firebirds will have strong self-belief at the moment but that needs to be tested."
The Fever (round 11; 56-54) and the Magic (round seven; 53-49) managed to push the Firebirds at home, which offers encouragement, but Fear says it will take a non-stop effort and full concentration.
"A number of teams have had some success against them but no one has managed it for the full 60 minutes."
6 Beware the bench
Willering feels that where possible, Fuller should resist the temptation to go to her bench for a tactical switch. As in many other sports, impact substitutions have become the vogue in netball but Willering has her reservations about the practice.
"Too often coaches are making a substitution instead of a simple correction," says Willering. "It is important not to make replacements for the sake of it and try to stick with your top seven."
7 Disrupt the defenders
The Firebirds duo of 1.85m Laura Geitz and 1.9m Amy Steel have owned the defensive end of the court throughout the season - but today the Mystics must find a way to unsettle the twin towers.
"The Mystics will need to keep it tidy and tight on attack," says Edge.
"You need to keep them separated - can't let them work together.
"The Mystics can't afford to give them a sniff of an intercept; [they] need to fake them with good footwork and body movement and aim to get their heads moving so they are not sure where to go."
