Error-prone Mystics look to regain momentum

Northern Mystics' 2010 ANZ Championship campaign started with a bang but that has since been silenced with the franchise losing two games on the trot.
They started the season as the team to beat, with a virtually  new roster, including several Silver Ferns.
Mystics goal shoot Catherine Latu said things turned pear-shaped after their good start, when the side lost momentum and went down to Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, and also suffered a 71-54 loss to  the Queensland Firebirds last week.
Heading into this year's competition, the Mystics were determined to turn around their luck, after finishing a disappointing eighth  in 2009.
"It hasn't quite turned out the way we had hoped," Latu said ahead of the Mystics' game against 2009 champions, and current table leading Melbourne Vixens, on Monday.
"We are just a bit confused out there - but there is a very small silver lining - if you could say that. We are just playing terribly, making too many errors, and that is something we can fix in a hurry," Latu said.
"It's as simple as that - we are a great team and should be winning. We need consistency -  we had moments of brilliance against the Firebirds, but not whole quarters of brilliance. We need to start better ... it's hard to play catch-up netball against any team let alone an Australian side, especially as one as good as the Vixens. Once an Australian side gets on a roll they are very hard to stop."
This year has seen Silver Fern Maria Tutaia join Latu in the Mystics' circle at goal attack, and the pair have been working hard to get their combinations right. Despite the hefty loss to the Firebirds, Latu and Tutaia's accuracy saw them finish the match with an 85 per cent success rate, but they suffered with the quality of ball they received. The Queensland defence applied constant pressure on the attackers, and closed down the Mystics' distribution into
the circle.
"We are sorting our game out and I'm pretty happy with where we are at ... but we still have a way to go. We had some terrible placement at times last week. We are both very tall, [Latu is 189cm and Tutaia is 188cm] and I need to know things like how high she [Maria] can jump and how long her arm span is so we can work out better positioning in the circle ... we are almost there."
Now in sixth spot,  the Mystics will need to dig deep over the next few weeks, in what is a tougher, and more competitive championship to 2009, Latu said.
The Mystics leave for Melbourne tomorrow  ahead of their second consecutive away game against the Vixens, at Hisense Arena on Monday starting at 9pm (NZT).
Other ANZ Championship games this weekend include the Central Pulse against the Thunderbirds at Wellington's TSB Bank Arena today  at 2.20pm. Tomorrow   the Canterbury Tactix are up against the Magic at Christchurch's Westpac Arena, from 6.50pm.
Across the ditch tomorrow, the New South Wales Swifts play the West Coast Fever at Newcastle Entertainment Centre 4.50pm (NZT), and the Southern Steel take on the Firebirds on Monday in Invercargill, at 7.20pm.