Netball: Mystics seeking external answers

Maria Tutaia in action.

The beleaguered Northern Mystics have called in external consultants to try to remedy the franchise's poor performance on and off the court.

After the star-studded side slumped to seventh in the transtasman league, concerns have been voiced over the culture of the organisation, with the front office coming under fire just as much as the playing and coaching staff.

Having lost their naming rights sponsor at the end of last season, the Mystics are facing further financial strife with several other sponsors ready to walk away.

It's understood former Mystics chief executive Mark Cameron left the franchise in a healthy financial position, re-signing sponsors for a further two years before departing for Auckland Cricket. Those sponsorship deals have now lapsed and the new management have failed to bring in any other revenue and they are expected to return a deficit of up to $300,000 for the last year.

Already woefully under-resourced, the Mystics also underwent a restructure this season, losing a long-serving administrator who was much-loved by the players, prompting a backlash against chief executive Julie Paterson.

Mystics coach Debbie Fuller, who will again be at the helm of the team in 2015, said some players have raised concerns during one-on-one reviews, but both she and the players needed to take responsibility for their poor season.

"The reviews have been largely positive. There are a couple who are concerned about some areas, but it's stuff that is fixable," said Fuller. "Players need to look at their role. They can't look at the front office and say, 'oh, that's why I've performed badly'.

"We've been hassled for our team culture, but the players are the culture and, if there are problems with it, it's up to us to fix it. That's a great challenge. It's easy to jump ship and try somewhere else but, ultimately, what will be the most rewarding is sticking around and building on what we have here."

In addition to the internal reviews, the Mystics board have called in outside consultants to review every area of the organisation. The front office is likely to be a key focus as franchise management grapple with the dual challenge of trying to run a high-performance programme as well as administer the grassroots of the game since the move to the zone structure.

"I think it's great the franchise has decided to do that," Fuller said. "We are fully aware the results this year weren't ideal. We've got stakeholders who want to see results and so do we. What we're doing is going out and finding what's missing and we'll get an internal and outside perspective on it."

A strong finish to the season, in which the Mystics played their best netball once their finals hopes were over, may have saved the organisation on several fronts. The performances gave a glimpse of what the talented group are capable of, boosting the team's morale and possibly convincing players on the brink of leaving to re-think.

Their fast-paced, exhilarating brand of netball on display in their final two wins against the Fever and Swifts left their long-suffering fans enthused about next season, meaning the team's awful season shouldn't impact 2015 membership numbers.

It's believed the Mystics are on the verge of re-signing captain Maria Tutaia, as well as outstanding rookie Temalisi Fakahokotau.

The only player from the starting seven who has confirmed she won't be returning is import Julie Corletto. The Australian defender is moving back to Melbourne with her husband and former Breakers guard Darryl, who has been released from the club.