Northern Mystics get ANZ Premiership title defence back on track

The Northern Mystics have got their ANZ Premiership title defence back on track after seeing off the Central Pulse in Porirua on Saturday.

On the back of a first-up defeat to the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic, the Auckland side, with star shooter Grace Nweke back in their ranks, rebounded with a 66-60 victory over the hosts at Te Rauparaha Arena.

Nweke, the 20-year-old Silver Fern, had sat out last Sunday having only just recovered from Covid-19, but her towering 1.93m presence was instrumental in her side’s turn around in fortunes.

The goal shoot netted 49 from 51 attempts as the Mystics pulled away in the third quarter, then really powered home in the fourth against a coach-less Pulse side in their first outing of the season.

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Covid cases in their ranks had seen the Pulse’s round-one fixture against the Northern Stars to be postponed and it left them facing a tough double-header, having to back up against the Magic in Porirua on Sunday.

Forced into fielding three development players, they were also without coach Yvette McCausland-Durie after she tested positive for Covid on Wednesday.

There was a more than handy replacement in former Silver Ferns coach Wai Taumaunu, Netball Central's director of high performance and specialist coach, while McCausland-Durie was allowed to dial in by video call at breaks.

The two mentors would have been heartened by what they saw early on, as the hosts took a 17-15 advantage to quarter time, then went to halftime 30-30, but the Mystics’ class shone through later on.

From 38-38 halfway through the third quarter, the visitors pounced to go on a three-goal, then a four-goal run, and all of a sudden they enjoyed a comfy 47-41 buffer going into the final 15 minutes.

That lead all of a sudden doubled to 12 when the Mystics went on a six-goal scoring spree to open the final stanza, and while the Pulse, who had Aliyah Dunn sink 45/49, fought back hard, they in the end fell one goal short of earning a bonus point.

While the Pulse have to back-up on Sunday, the Mystics don’t have much more time to recover, either, facing the Southern Steel in Invercargill on Monday night.

AT A GLANCE

Northern Mystics 66 (Grace Nweke 49/51, Monica Falkner 11/16, Filda Vui 6/7) Central Pulse 60 (Aliyah Dunn 45/49, Tiana Metuarau 15/19). 1Q: 17-15, HT: 30-30, 3Q: 41-47