Netball: Time to ensure transtasman hoodoo buried

Debbie Fuller. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Last year they broke their duck, now the Mystics have to bury the hoodoo.

The Auckland franchise face their first transtasman test today, with a match against the Vixens at Trusts Stadium.

In three seasons, they have won just two of 15 matches (13 per cent) against Australian opposition.

That record will have to improve this year if they are to achieve their stated top-four goal, and coach Debbie Fuller is confident they have the right mix in 2011.

"The Australian style is fairly predictable and clinical," says Fuller. "You know what you are going to get from Australian teams. They have that dogged, never-say-die attitude and we have to match that and rise above it."

Fuller admits that sometimes in the past the physical intensity of the Aussies has thrown them off their game.

"We have to stick to playing our style and not get caught up in their running games. We have players in our team who have powerful changes of direction that often throw the Australian defenders.

"We need to be able to keep things together, shrug off other variables that come into the game and respond quickly to their change in tactics.

"If we can keep maintaining that for the full four quarters, I think we will be right."

That is the essence of the challenge for the Mystics; achieving consistency in performance for a full match.

After being solid against the Steel and Pulse, they hit some soft patches in the blockbuster round three clash against the Magic. The experienced core of the Magic upped the ante and mistakes crept in.

"The Mystics have looked very good this year and have definitely stepped up but I still don't know if they are a 60-minute team yet," says Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken.

The Mystics went winless in their first 10 matches against Australian opposition before breaking through last year with victories against the Adelaide Thunderbirds and West Coast Fever. They have never beaten the New South Wales Swifts, Melbourne Vixens or Queensland Firebirds.

The Queensland side have been a particularly tough foe, with the team struggling to shut down towering Jamaican Romelda Aiken. The presence of beanpole defender Anna Scarlett should help their cause.

In contrast to the prototype in New Zealand, Australian teams traditionally have fast, nippy goal attacks - think Sharelle McMahon, Susan Pratley, Natalie Medhurst, et al - and that is often the biggest point of adjustment.

"If the defender is going to chase all day, then she is going to get done," admits Fuller. "If she is going to be in the collection points where they are going to want the ball, then she might have some success. You have to find a strategy that is going to work."

Fuller takes confidence from a strong pre-season hit-out against the Swifts and is overall "fairly pleased" with the standards set so far this year.

"Considering the time period we have had, our connections have been good and individually the conditioning seems up to the mark."

For the team to develop, Fuller needs to manage that fine blend between encouraging flair and ensuring errors are kept at a minimum.

"We want to keep building the familiarity with each other and accuracy; whilst keeping the great flow that we have got from the skill in the team," says Fuller. "We always want to promote that flow and skill but you want to make it accurate at the same time."

Mystics vs Aussie teams

2010: Two wins, three losses

2009: Five losses

2008: Five losses