Netball: New silverware appeals but points off a Perth win is what Mystics really want

Northern Mystics centre Laura Langman. Photo / Getty Images

The Northern Mystics will get the first crack at taking home the ANZ Championship's newest prize tomorrow.

But it's the competition points on offer against the Fever that hold the greatest appeal for the Auckland side, who have been hampered by slow starts to the season in previous years.

The Challenge Trophy - a new initiative introduced to the league this season, based loosely on provincial rugby's Ranfurly Shield - will be contested for the first time tomorrow when the Mystics take on the inaugural holders of the trophy, the West Coast Fever, in Perth.

League bosses are hoping the Challenge Trophy will add another layer of interest to the competition, but without the history behind it of the Ranfurly Shield, it may be a while before it takes off with fans.

Regardless of the extra silverware on offer, the Mystics would consider the two crucial away points a major prize, never winning in Perth in three previous attempts.

Both teams are coming off successful opening round road trips - the Fever claimed their first-ever victory in Brisbane with an impressive performance against the Queensland Firebirds while the Mystics overcame a slow start to run down the Tactix in Christchurch.

Fever coach Stacey Rosman promised pre-season her side would be mentally tougher when challenged during matches, clearly evident against the Firebirds who had hauled in a deficit of six goals early in the second term to lead at the main break.

The resilience she was after came in the third term as Fever again took control and set up a winning lead.

Rosman said the Mystics were a team that thrived on momentum, so her side would need to ensure they were disruptive on defence right from the outset. "At their best they've got some unbelievable tricks up their sleeve. When it does come off it's pretty good to watch.

"But you can force them into errors and we'll be working hard on our defensive pressure so we actually get control of the game," she said.

The other big transtasman match-up over the weekend sees the Central Pulse take on the Queensland Firebirds - a fixture that in the past has generated heated encounters.

The Pulse would have had a long flight back to Wellington from a horror first showing against defending champions the Melbourne Vixens in round one, which resulted in a hefty 24-goal loss and left the team in search of answers at both ends of the court. Defence were guilty of gifting their opponents too much space for easy drives through court and into the circle while the attack will need fewer individual errors to compete.

Captain Katrina Grant said her team, tipped to be one of New Zealand's title hopes, were "not writing ourselves off" after one performance.

She has pinpointed their start - where the Vixens were rampant and led 8-2 after just a couple of minutes - as it set the tone for the match and the Pulse never fully recovered.

ANZ Championship

Round 2

Today: 4.10pm Southern Steel v Mainland Tactix, Invercargill.
Tomorrow: 2.18pm Melbourne Vixens v Adelaide Thunderbirds, Melbourne; 4.18pm West Coast Fever v Northern Mystics, Perth; 7.10pm Central Pulse v Queensland Firebirds, Porirua.
Monday: 7.40pm Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic v NSW Swifts, Tauranga.