Netball: Tough job to halt Firebirds' momentum

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Two of the transtasman league's most-improved sides will go head-to-head today when the Northern Mystics host the table-topping Queensland Firebirds.

Both teams came into the 2011 season with reputations as the underachievers of the ANZ Championship. In previous years they've proven themselves capable of upsetting the competition heavyweights on their day, but were unable to show the consistency needed to secure a top-four finish.

However, this season the Firebirds have set the pace over the first half of the competition, opening the season with six straight wins, while the Mystics have shown definite promise and are fourth on the table with a 4-2 win-loss record.

But reputations can be hard to shake off and many will point to the Mystics' two-goal loss to the Thunderbirds last week, in which they blew an eight-goal lead, as a clear sign cracks are starting to appear in their play-offs bid.

For that reason, Mystics captain Temepara George is desperate for her side to reassert their dominance at Trusts Stadium today.

"It was frustrating to have the game in our grasp and we don't want to experience that again," she said.

Today's clash will kick off Rivalry Round, in which all five games this weekend will be transtasman affairs. At the end, the country with the highest number of aggregate goals across all five games will be awarded the 2011 Rivalry Round Trophy.

The initiative is more of a marketing gimmick to drum up interest in the matches than a serious motivator for the teams.

George said that for the Mystics, the lure of two points was motivation enough.

The home side are in for a tough challenge if they are to halt the Firebirds' momentum. The visitors come into the match riding a wave of confidence after their blistering start.

But they are untested on New Zealand soil this season.

The difference in rule interpretations between the two countries has proved controversial over the first three and a bit seasons of the transtasman league.

The debate resurfaced this week after Mystics shooter Cathrine Latu and the Steel's Daneka Wipiiti lashed out at the umpiring following close losses across the Tasman. The Melbourne Vixens were also left fuming over some of the umpiring decisions in their loss to the Magic, with several players taking to social media to vent their frustration.

So the biggest challenge for the Firebirds - a side known for their aggressive defence - could be adjusting to the local umpires.

The Mystics will be feeling more settled back on home turf, but defender Rachel Rasmussen doesn't believe that gives them an advantage.

"You're not sure what any umpire is going to call, whether from New Zealand or Australia. The key is getting a feel for things in the first five minutes and adjusting."

Rasmussen is likely to be handed the tough assignment of marking Jamaican import Romelda Aiken - the Firebirds' key attacking weapon. During their last visit in 2009 she did a solid job of containing Aiken.

The Mystics defender learned a lot from that experience, but is well aware the Firebirds' attacking unit has vastly improved this season.

"They've had the same group together for a while now and the feeders are finding Romelda a lot better now, so that's a big challenge."

In tomorrow's matches the Melbourne Vixens host the winless Canterbury Tactix, while Central Pulse, fresh from their first win of the season against the Tactix, face a tough task against the third-placed Swifts in Wellington.

On Monday, the Southern Steel will play the Thunderbirds in Invercargill and the Magic will finish Rivalry Round action in Perth, hoping for a rare win across the Tasman against the West Coast Fever.