Netball: Winless weekend for Mystics

Laura Langman. Photo / Dean Purcell

The Northern Mystics have wrapped up a winless weekend at the ANZ Championship Summer Shootout in Sydney, as the top Kiwi sides failed to fire in the three-day preseason event.

A 55-50 loss to perennial strugglers the Mainland Tactix in their final match-up capped off a weekend of poor performances for the Auckland franchise. The star-studded Mystics side struggled to find any fluency in their through-court play, with even their top combinations lacking sharpness. The low point for the Mystics was a 38-18 loss to the West Coast Fever on Saturday night, with the Perth-based team brutally exposing the Mystics' poor connections on attack.

The Central Pulse, who like the Mystics, boast a line-up stacked with international talent, had an up and down weekend, largely failing to live up to expectations. The team managed to sneak wins against the Mystics and Steel, while a last gasp draw against the Thunderbirds on the opening night provided the only other highlight. But having not won a game against an Australian outfit last season, the Pulse would have been particularly disappointed let a golden opportunity against the Fever slip in their final match-up of the tournament this afternoon.

Only a few goals separated the two teams for most of the match, but the Pulse lost their way over the final seven minutes as the fitter and more composed Fever line-up kicked on to record a convincing 52-41 win. While the Pulse looked strong defensively, the quality was not there with their attacking play considering the experience they have at their disposal.

The performance of New Zealand's two strongest line-ups - on paper at least - in the preseason tournament will likely spark fresh hand-wringing over the gulf in class between the Australian and New Zealand sides. With all teams using the event to try out new combinations and blood some youngsters, the tournament was a test of depth and on that front the Australians were always going to have the edge. But pushing results to one side, the general play and skill level of the New Zealand teams was several notches below that of their Australian rivals.

Mystics midcourter Laura Langman admitted her team's weaknesses were exposed over the weekend, but said it has given them a clear focus on what the group need to work on.

"From a learning point of view, it's been a great weekend. It has exposed us, it has shown we've got a massive amount to work on, but we have also shown that if we get ourselves into certain positions we play well," said Langman.

One New Zealand team that will be pleased with their efforts over the weekend is the Steel, who looked fit and well-prepared. The Steel were the only New Zealand side to record a win against an Australian rival over the weekend, beating the Thunderbirds 29-23 in one of the shortened games.

The Fever were the only unbeaten side over the weekend, but it is the NSW Swifts that everyone is talking up as premiership favourites, with the addition of star defender Julie Corletto and English import Jade Clarke strengthening an already powerful line-up. The Swifts beat the defending champion Melbourne Vixens 49-46 in the tournament's showcase match this afternoon.