They have cleaned up the New Zealand conference, but the Northern Mystics are yet to prove their gameplan can hold up to Australian teams.

Invincible isn't a word you would have associated with the Mystics over recent years, but they grabbed a slice of domestic history last night.

Silver Ferns' skipper Casey Kopua is still no certainty to return to the court with the Magic this season, despite her remarkable progress in her comeback from a devastating knee injury.

The Mystics have sewn up the top spot on the transtasman league's New Zealand conference ladder with two rounds to spare.

Given what Casey Kopua offers a netball team, you'd think the Mystics would have politely encouraged her to rest for another week.

The Central Pulse have kept their season alive with a win over the Mainland Tactix. The victory sets up a faux third-place shootout with the Southern Steel in Palmerston North on Sunday.

The Magic have reclaimed second position on the New Zealand conference ANZ Championship netball ladder with a feisty win over the Steel in Hamilton last night.

The Central Pulse will have a new coach by the end of the month after veteran mentor Robyn Broughton announced this season will be her last.

The Northern Mystics have extended out their lead at the top of the New Zealand conference ladder, but it is their ability to build on a lead during matches that is cause for concern.

Tiana Metuarau, Taumaunu's netball-mad daughter, was still at intermediate school when she boldly proclaimed she wanted to make the Silver Ferns before she turns 18.

The draw has emerged as one of the most contentious talking points in the ANZ Championship this season, with six in the first nine rounds.

The Mystics' silky shooter may look like a walking billboard for compression gear, but feels the added layers are giving her an edge.

The Southern Steel have pulled off a dramatic last gasp draw against the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Dunedin to end an otherwise disappointing weekend.

An erratic showing from the Northern Mystics in their loss to the Queensland Firebirds perfectly summed up the Auckland side's season thus far in 60 minutes: dysfunctional in patches followed by moments of sheer brilliance.

As another weekend of all-transtasman clashes looms in the ANZ Championship, so too does the prospect of further humiliation for the New Zealand sides.

The Northern Mystics added to their lead at the top of the New Zealand conference in the ANZ Championship with a 47-45 win over the Central Pulse in Wellington tonight.