Stars' coach Kiri Wills says her side wants the challenge of beating the Northern Mystics with their star shooter Grace Nweke on court, when they host Wednesday's elimination final.
Stars coach Kiri Wills high fives one of her players. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2021 www.photosport.nz
Not long ago the Mystics were sitting at the top of the ANZ Premiership table but have lost four games on the trot since Nweke rolled her ankle.
Their 58-40 loss to the Pulse on Friday, means they have to play Auckland cross-town rivals the Stars.
The Mystics aim is for Nweke to be ready in time for the elimination final and are likely to wait as long as they can before a decision is made on her inclusion.
Wills has also got her fingers crossed for the Silver Fern.
"I hope she is there. You know she has played so well for them, they were very dominant with her in the back and I really do hope that she is there because we want to beat them with her in that side," Wills said.
Would victory feel hollow if Nweke is not on court?
"Yeah, look a wins a win and we'll go hard as we can no matter who's on the court but we would like the challenge of having her out there and matching it with them.
"If we think about them being at their best it's having her in that side and we want to beat them when they're at their best."
Wills said they would have to analyse three potential shooting ends.
"I thought Grace Namana did a really good job against the Pulse the other night. We'll have to look at what it looks like with Namana in there, Grace Nweke in GS or with Filda Vui and Monica Falkner."
Wills said without Nweke the Mystics' midcourt had to lift their work rate significantly.
"It takes a lot more passes to get that ball in, there's nobody to save them if they get off balance and throw in hope. And they're coming off Covid so I think that's something that we will be looking at exploiting because that's the nature of the game you're going to have to work harder if it's not in the back."
Four Mystics players have been affected by Covid in the last couple of weeks.
Against the Pulse they were missing midcourters Tayla Earle, Peta Toeava, and Claire O'Brien but the trio are likely to be back for the elimination final.
Anna Harrison (L) defends over Grace Nweke. Photo: Photosport
Wills will have a full team on Wednesday but said they weren't taking anything for granted.
"We are touching wood because we've got four players who had Covid very early, January/February and they are at risk. The cases are still out in the community and you know you go to the supermarket these days and you're the only one wearing a mask.
"We are pretty sensitive to any situation we're in where we go 'this doesn't feel right' because we know we've just got a week to get through.
"We certainly feel for the Mystics and the situation that they've been in, the timing's just been really poor for them."
Lose on Wednesday, and the Stars' season is over, win and they will meet the Pulse in the grand final on Sunday.
The Stars have timed their run brilliantly in the later half of the season.
Wills is really happy with their conversion rate from turnovers, a key stat in netball.
Against the Steel a week ago the Stars converted off all of their turnovers, which is pretty much unheard of.
"I think the benchmark from last year for the best team to score their turnovers were sitting on about 70 percent so we've always been aiming to better that and every game we've got closer and closer.
"It's absolutely something we've been working on but the 100 percent that was out of this world in terms of our accuracy.
"Our defence end is getting enough ball for us to win games and if other teams can't get that ball off us again that just helps pump up the score."
Last year, the Stars went from top of the ANZ Premiership ladder for nine weeks after Round 10, to drop out of finals contention just four rounds later.
A lot of that had to do with shooting accuracy, which meant the Stars weren't able to play anywhere near to their full potential.
There was a point earlier in this season when Silver Ferns' goal shoot Maia Wilson got some shooting yips but that has corrected itself.
Wilson seems to have regained her swagger for the business end of the competition and is moving as sharply as she ever has.
Maia Wilson. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Wills said a turning point came about a month ago when illness and Covid hit their defence end before a fixture against the Magic.
"I sort of turned to my attacking end and said 'if ever there was a time that your team needed you to be at your best it's this weekend.' They really took that on board and ran with it and we haven't looked back since.
"And particularly Maia and her availability and her confidence to go to the post has all lifted from there and that's just lifted the entire attacking end.
"It's made the feeding so much easier. I think Gina's [Crampton] definitely having a bit of fun out there, letting that ball go long or short.
"And it's also opened it up for the goal attack so they're not taking as many long shots."
Wilson took on the captaincy last year and experienced some shooting wobbles in the back half of the season.
Wills said in the pre-season they worked on taking the pressure off Wilson.
"We had quite a good discussion with her and her mental skills coach Rob Corban from the Silver Ferns and the reality is she is a young captain and that's okay.
"We just have to help her to manage all of that stuff. It was never a case for me of her not being able to do the job, it was more about just focus on the things she can control and that's her game and the rest will come."
"She's a great leader off court and it's that on court stuff it's just about doing your job. I think it was just a lesson and a learning as a young captain but we're really committed to her development both on and off the court and I think we are starting to see how amazing she can be and what she can become in the future."
Since their inception the Stars tended to make several off-season changes but they made just two changes this year.
Wills said it's been hugely beneficial, especially in such a disrupted season.
"We didn't actually have our first training with everybody there until half way though this competitive season.
"So having those connections already quite solid has meant we've had a foundation to fall back on and build from when we are together.
"The trust is there."