KEY POINTS:
The Northern Mystics are doing their best to ignore their precarious position in the transtasman league as they turn their attention to rectifying some major shortcomings in their game.
After opening their season with four straight losses, the Mystics are at the bottom of the ANZ Championship standings and another defeat could spell the end of the Auckland franchise's season.
But Mystics coach Yvonne Willering said yesterday her players needed to push their poor record to one side and adopt the old sporting mantra of one game at a time.
"We've been desperate for the win, I think it's very obvious, but we need to let that go and really just focus on the very next game," she said.
"We won't even think about our semifinal chances. At the moment the goal we need to look at is about next week. Our total focus has to be on the game at hand."
It will be easier said than done, though, for the Mystics, with some serious questions being asked about Willering and a number of players in her line-up.
Many are wondering how a side with such obvious talent are so off the pace in the early stages of the league.
Willering said her side must do their best to ignore the scrutiny they are under _ advice she is also heeding herself.
"We're not focusing on the four losses. I know that's something the media will choose to look at, but we can't afford to. We just have to move on and just take each game as it comes.
"The same goes for me as well. I do feel under a lot of pressure, but it doesn't help getting bogged down by that."
The Mystics struggled to match the speed and aggression of the Australian teams over the past couple of weeks, but the Auckland side now have a chance to kick-start their season against the more familiar New Zealand style of play.
The biggest concern in the opening rounds has been the frailty of the attack, with high turnovers and poor option-taking plaguing the side.
The largely inexperienced Mystics attacking line-up have struggled to gel and appear to break down under pressure, particularly against the tight man-on Australian marking.
And they won't be receiving any favours from the Southern Steel, whom they face next in Invercargill.
The Steel are coming off a demoralising loss to the Adelaide Thunderbirds at the weekend and will be eager to ensure they don't slip further off the pace.
Canterbury Tactix suffered their second consecutive loss in the championship, beaten 58-50 by Melbourne Vixens in Christchurch last night.
The Vixens, powered by Australian international Sharelle McMahon proved too slick in attack as they bounced back from a 39-38 defeat by the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
They now have three wins and loss while the Tactix have two wins and two losses after four rounds.
