Netball: Mystics intent on banishing demons

Maria Tutaia has proven that she can play well under pressure. Photo / Richard Robinson

Mystics shooter Northern Mystics shooter Cathrine Latu has a few issues she is desperate to address on court in tomorrow's transtasman league semifinal against the NSW Swifts.

The Auckland side will get their first taste of playoff netball in four seasons when they take on the Swifts in the minor semifinal.

Given they are up against a side that demolished them only three weeks ago, the Mystics are the clear underdogs.

Their round-10 loss was one of the Mystics' worst performances this season, with the Swifts blowing them off the court in the first 30 minutes.

Latu, one of the linchpins of the Mystics' attack line, had a particularly quiet game in Sydney, with the gritty Swifts defensive pairing of Sonia Mkoloma and Rebecca Bulley restricting Latu to just 17 goals in three quarters.

The 1.89m shooter was then benched in the final spell after letting her frustration get the better of her.

But there is no need to remind Latu of this. It has been weighing heavily on her mind since round 10 and she is eager to erase a few demons this weekend.

"Me personally, I have a couple of issues from playing over in Sydney the last time," she said.

"I tend to hold on to things like that, so I've definitely got a couple of points to prove over there."

Mystics defender Anna Scarlett believes her side struggled with attack partly because much of their game build-up focused on developing a defensive strategy to disrupt the Swifts' attack line.

"We identified the Swifts have a high possession rate, so I think we neglected the attack end a bit," said Scarlett.

Which is not to say there aren't a few areas that the defenders need to brush up on ahead of tomorrow's sudden-death clash.

While they turned over plenty of ball, the penalty count against the Mystics was a hefty 77-48 with Scarlett and her defensive partner Kayla Cullen the biggest contributors to that tally.

To ensure they had the opportunity to address every aspect of their game, Mystics coach Debbie Fuller called her side into camp this week to spend two days fine-tuning their gameplan.

The former Silver Ferns defender believes planning is key to success in the playoffs.

"You gain confidence in knowing you are totally prepared for an opposition," said Fuller.

Fuller said her side couldn't hide behind their status as finals debutantes. With high-calibre players, there would be no excuses if they failed to do the job in Sydney, she said.

Latu and Scarlett are joined by seasoned Silver Ferns Temepara George and Joline Henry, not to mention mercurial goal attack Maria Tutaia, who proved in last year's Commonwealth Games final that she is capable of pulling out big performances when it matters.

"Their experience is huge. You get a lot of hunger and desire from the younger players too, so there's a good balance in the team."

If the Mystics topple the Swifts at home they will go on to face the loser of Monday night's major semifinal between the Queensland Firebirds and Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic in the next round of the playoffs.

The Magic leave for the Gold Coast tomorrow hopeful that Peta Scholz will be fit to take the court, after their star import sat out last week's final- round game with a knee complaint.

Scholz, who underwent a knee reconstruction last season, has spent the week in her hometown of Adelaide consulting with her surgeon.

The veteran midcourter had some cartilage in her knee cleared out.

However Magic coach Noeline Taurua was "pretty positive" Scholz would be available for Monday's game.

ANZ Championship

Playoffs

Minor semifinal

NSW Swifts v Northern MysticsTomorrow, 4.20pm, Sydney

Major semifinal

Queensland Firebirds v Waikato/Bay of Plenty MagicMonday, 9.40pm, Gold Coast