Netball: Crucial clashes for Magic and Mystics

Mystics assistant coach Jenny-May Coffin. Photo / Natalie Slade

Tonight's round six transtasman netball clashes should provide a solid gauge of where the play-off aspirations lie for the top two Kiwi hopes.

Both the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic and Northern Mystics have difficult assignments against Australian teams tonight. How they front up to these challenges will provide a strong indication of where their seasons are headed.

The Magic take on a Melbourne Vixens side groaning with talent in Hamilton tonight, while the Mystics will look to defy the alarming record of New Zealand teams across the Tasman when they meet the Thunderbirds in Adelaide.

The Southern Steel came agonisingly close on Saturday to becoming the second New Zealand side behind the Magic to notch up a win across the Tasman, falling 50-47 to the West Coast Fever in Perth.

Now the onus falls on Mystics to try to improve New Zealand's dreadful track record of just two wins (Magic v Fever, round 13, 2009; Magic v Swifts, major semifinal, 2010) in three and a bit seasons.

Mystics assistant coach Jenny-May Coffin, who will again be in the hot seat tonight with Debbie Fuller not making the trip to Adelaide as she is unable to travel with her new baby, said after claiming the scalps of the Vixens and Magic over the last two weeks, her side are keen to make another big statement against the Thunderbirds.

Coffin believes the experience of playing under Australian umpires in last week's thrilling one-goal win over the Magic was a taster of what they can expect from local officiating tonight.

"I think it's really healthy we have Australian umpires introduced in to our ANZ matches here. I think it can only be good for the game to experience that more often and I think it is going to bridge the gap for us going over there in terms of how we are viewing the umpiring," she said.

"We have to be even more meticulous with our preparation because of all those extra things you have to take in to account."

The Vixens look to have also benefited from the ANZ Championship's initiative to give umpires more exposure to the different styles of play between the two countries.

Tonight's game will be the third week in a row they have had Kiwi umpires in charge of the match, after playing in Auckland in round four and having two New Zealand whistleblowers officiating their 31-goal demolition of the Fever last week.

Magic coach Noeline Taurua believes the Vixens, and in particular defenders Geva Mentor and Bianca Chatfield, seem to have come to grips with the interpretations of the New Zealand umpires.

"The Vixens are a very clean team and even though they got pinged quite a bit against Mystics, they actually played the ball really well I thought," said Taurua.

"Looking at them last week [against the Fever], they adjusted really well and moved in and attacked the space more than they did the previous week. And that's a credit to their defence, they can move in between man-on and the zone defence really well."

With the Vixens so strong defensively, Taurua said her side need to play 60 minutes of clinical netball if they are to topple the visitors - something they have failed to produce in recent outings. Severe lapses in concentration were to blame for the Magic's patchy wins against the Pulse and Tactix and last week's loss to the Mystics.

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The much maligned Central Pulse finally showed signs of life to post a rare win last night.

They beat fellow competition stragglers Canterbury Tactix 46-43 at Palmerston North to register their first win of the season and just their third in three and a bit seasons of the ANZ Championship.

The final whistle was greeted with celebratory hugs and kisses, something of a novelty for Pulse players well used to consoling themselves with frowns and tears.

In yesterday's other match, the Firebirds beat the Swifts 57-53.

ROUND 6 ACTION

Tonight's ANZ Championship games:

* 7.40 Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic v Melbourne Vixens, Hamilton
* 9.40 Adelaide Thunderbirds v Northern Mystics, Adelaide