KEY POINTS:
It wasn't pretty, but it was the result that counted in the end.
Under-fire Northern Mystics coach Yvonne Willering can finally breathe again now her side has some points to its name.
And the former Silver Ferns coach took the opportunity to hit back at critics after the Mystics gutsy, though at times scrappy, come-from-behind win over the Southern Steel.
After opening the ANZ Championship season with four losses, the Mystics came under stinging criticism with questions raised over the side's fitness and conditioning.
But Willering said the nature of the Mystics win on Monday proved their knockers wrong.
The Auckland side trailed the Steel by eight goals mid-way through the third quarter, but just as disillusioned Mystics fans began to sigh "here we go again", Willering's side produced an almighty comeback.
"People have questioned our fitness, but after that performance last night - well you can't say fitness was an aspect," Willering said.
Despite feeling a lot more comfortable with a win on the board, Willering is refusing to discuss her side's play-off chances, preferring instead to stick to the mantra "one game at a time".
"We're not even going there," Willering said of her side's semifinal hopes.
"We put ourselves in to a tough situation so our focus is very much on next week's game . We've got to make sure we take a step up from this week. That's where we're headed right now. The future can take care of itself really."
Despite their reluctance to look too far ahead, the way the draw is structured the Mystics will be quietly confident they can at least challenge for a play-off position. But to do so the Auckland side need to tidy up on a number of areas if they are to build on their wins tally.
The attack end remains a major concern. The Mystics feed in to the goal circle continues to be laboured at times, while the shooters still appear hesitant to go to the post.
Mystics defender Leana de Bruin said while the young shooting pairing of Cathrine Latu and Jade Topia has copped much of the heat for the ill-functioning attack end, the entire team needs to take responsibility and ensure they provide good service in to the shooting circle.
"We've done a lot of work figuring out what they like and where they want to take the shots from, so if we can ensure they get quality ball then it's easy for them to get the goals."
The Mystics need to make big gains in this area over the week if they are to pull off back-to-back wins.
