NETBALL - Mystics get used to hitting the road

The Northern Mystics training session in Whangarei on Saturday may have been an effective public relations exercise to put the team in front of their admiring supporters but new coach TeAroha Keenan also wants them to get off to a flying start this year.
Keenan is out to simulate what the side will strike when the ANZ Championships begin in earnest in 56 days.
Saturday's excursion north was already the team's second "away" trip from their Auckland base as the coach gets them into the routine of travelling and playing.
"The league is going to be hard and they've got to be able to turn it on game after game if they want to get anywhere," Keenan said.
The Mystics are drawn to play seven away games and six home games when the competition starts in early April, meaning form on the road will be vital.
The team were the competition's under-performer in 2008 and their eighth-place finish in the 10-team competition was largely responsible for costing previous coach Yvonne Willering her job one year into her three-year contract.
Keenan was Willering's assistant and the former Silver Fern knows that the pre-season is a vital time.
"We've already made truckloads of changes and one of the main ones is that the players train in the morning from 7-10am - five days a week - and then they have the odd day like today where we require a bit more from them," she said.
"So basically they've got to commit to playing and their jobs have to fit around their training, so that's a major change this year."
Fitness has been the main focus of the pre-season training.
"I think you can see that they're in pretty good nick at the moment and that's before we've even thought about going into any tactical stuff. So I'm really pleased about where they're at," Keenan said.
There was an enthusiastic crowd at the Kensington Gym training session on Saturday, with fans mixing with the families of the Northland players in the Mystics squad.
There are four Northland players involved, with Waitangi's Catherine Latu joined by her younger sister Amy this year. Kaikohe's Jade Topia and Ruawai's Stephanie Bond are established members.
Bond said there was a good feeling in the team after an early start to the campaign.
"We've been able to train a lot earlier this year, like we started in December and last year at this time I don't think we'd even signed contracts yet."
Bond felt the team's preparation wasn't up to scratch last year and under Keenan they were well advanced on that.
"I think everyone knows her and respects her. She has brought some new ideas to the team and that's really been great," Bond said.
The team's line-up is largely unchanged from last season. Southern's Debbie White and Waikato's Keisha Grant have joined while English shooter Pamela Cookey is poised to join before the competition starts.
The coach is proud of her Northland roots in Kawakawa and enjoyed the session at Kensington gym.
"These are our people," Keenan said. "We're representing these people and the opportunity came up to travel up here and play in the stadium. For me, it's an opportunity to get the players used to travelling and playing."