Netball: Tough love approach working for Mystics

The Northern Mystics are ready to fulfil their true potential this Sunday when they take on the Mainland Tactix in the ANZ Premiership grand final in Auckland.

The Mystics have struggled to meet expectations in past seasons but a more disciplined approach to their 2021 campaign saw them win the minor premiership and grand final hosting rights.

It started when coach Helene Wilson decided to impose minimum fitness standards not long after the dust had settled on last year's season.

Now in her fifth year in charge of the Mystics, Wilson said as well as trying to win the Premiership, she saw part of the franchise's role was to develop Silver Ferns.

"There's fitness standards [players need to meet] to be included in national squads. So I felt that if we were going to be a realistic prospect of doing that part of our role, we needed to have the same fitness standards in our environment as well," Wilson said.

"We decided as a team that wearing the starting bib was a privilege and therefore we all needed to be at the required standard to play."

That meant players needed to achieve the same standard as the Silver Ferns development squad of 16.1 in the yo-yo if they wanted to be named in the starting line up.

"For players who are still developing, absolutely it's tough, but they responded to it really positively, because they know to be contenders at the top level, you have to be fit enough to play the game for 60 minutes at the standard required so the fitness standards in our whole club, our whole region are across the board.

"So right from NNL, the girls know that there's an expectation to be fit and I think after many years of hard work in that space, we're starting to see some of the positive results of it."

Captain Sulu Fitzpatrick said it was difficult for some players initially.

"But it's been really important in terms of our team culture, and values that we do what we say we're going to do. So it was tough for quite a few of us but I think what it's done is that we know that everyone's worked hard to be here, and that we can trust each other on court when the going gets tough that everyone will have each other's backs.

"It will probably continue into next season and that gives us the best chance to play the best netball we can," Fitzpatrick said.

Assistant coach, Australian Rob Wright, said in pre-season if players didn't hit the standards, they weren't allowed into any training sessions that didn't have fitness components in them.

"So we had players sitting out of training at the start which hurts. But you know I really applaud that Helene stuck to her guns because we said, 'well, these are the standards and everyone's got to hit them' and I think it's paid off for us," Wright said.

Finals cauldron

The Tactix only made one change to their team this year, and could start Sunday's final with seven players who were on court in last year's grand final, including Karin Burger, who was on the winning Pulse side.

Wright believed that counted a lot for the Tactix.

"I think that's a massive factor for them. So I think it really probably puts them as favourites, because of that."

So how do you prepare players who haven't had finals experience?

"It's just about making sure that we really delve into what a grand final looks like. And that's tapping into the experience of the people who have been there and work out what people are feeling and we did do a little bit of that yesterday.

"And then just getting them to understand that the grand final is like no other game, the intensity turns up like no other. So I think it's getting that through to the players and that understanding that it's going to ramp up like no other game and then we just continue to do what we need to do to make sure we get the job done."

One Mystics player who does have finals experience is Fitzpatrick.

She was part of the 2019 Championship winning Pulse. But the year before that she experienced a grand final meltdown when the Southern Steel came from nowhere to mow the Pulse down in the final quarter.

Three weeks ago, with the Mystics looking to secure the minor premiership, the Pulse got to within two, having trailed by 12.

It brought back memories to Fitzpatrick of that meltdown.

"I think more so because it was ourselves crumbling. And so I wasn't so much scared in terms of scared of the Pulse because they were playing solid netball for the whole game. It was more in terms of us having that lapse. I'm glad that the time ran out we were lucky about that. But I think that's really, really important that we don't have those lapses come the final because those lapses can cost you the game."

Wright said they had learnt from the blips they'd had during the season.

"We've been really focusing hard on just trying to eliminate that because against a team like the Tactix in a grand final you're not going to get away with that. It's that consistency of trying to make sure that you win every quarter. They're really handy moments, so you can acknowledge them and then put in plans to make sure they don't happen again."

Fitzpatrick said reminding the younger players of their strengths was key.

"Focus on us, focus on your strengths. And to make sure that you're doing whatever you need, and whatever that looks like to come ready on Sunday.

"We're really embracing the emotions, and whatever everyone is feeling we want to be open about that. Because there's definitely going to be nerves. A lot of the young girls, they've never experienced this before and they probably won't feel it till it hits them on Sunday. And so we're really open about where everyone's at. All we want is to make sure that we're in the best position to play the game that we want to play in that final."

Nweke v Burger and Watson

The grand final pits the best attacking team against the best defensive team of the season.

The Mystics have the best attacking record scoring 61.9 goals per match while the Tactix concede an average of just 51.4 goals per match.

Young Mystics shooter Grace Nweke has shot an incredible 85.5 percent of the entire Mystics goals this season, a record for the competition.

Both sides claimed one goal wins over each other early in the season before the Mystics beat the Tactix in Christchurch two weeks ago while also getting their full squad on court.

But the Tactix responded a week later by beating the Southern Steel in the elimination final in front of a very parochial Invercargill crowd, which Fitzpatrick believes showed their finals experience.

Shutting down the feeds from wing attack Peta Toeava into the circle will be key for the Tactix as well as trying to contain the dominance of Nweke.

Wright said Silver Ferns Jane Watson and Karin Burger had been impressive.

"Like there's a reason why they're the best defensive team in the competition. So it's a good one isn't it, it's best attack versus best defense so it should be a cracker," Wright said.

Fitzpatrick believed the Mystics would be in a good position to secure Auckland's first major domestic netball title in 23 years.

"We've always been renowned for flair but now that balance has actually meant that we're able to do the basics first and then the flair can come naturally."

Fitzpatrick said Wilson had given them a lot of belief.

"She thinks quite out of the box, she doesn't have pre-conceptions. Helene says it all the time that she hasn't played netball at the level that some people may have played at. But because of that, it means she's quite open minded about what could be possible on court, she doesn't put limits on what people are capable of."

Wilson is hoping the tough love approach will serve them well.

"What we hope is that they've been through enough challenges this year that they will know they've done the work to get out there and just play and enjoy the grand final and trust in all the hard training and all the practices that we've had.

"What I do know is that there is a great amount of trust between the players in each other's strengths and abilities and I think if they band together they'll do really well," Wilson said.

Whatever happens, a first-time champion will be crowned with the Mystics and Tactix never having won the ANZ Premiership or the former trans-Tasman competition.