The Northern Mystics have pulled off one of the great escapes of the netball season, clawing back from five goals down in the final quarter to beat the defending champion Mainland Tactix 53-51 after extra time in Christchurch on Saturday night.
It was the Mystics’ second extra-time win in as many weeks and it tightened their grip on top spot on the ANZ Premiership ladder, with the prize of hosting rights for the grand final now firmly in their sights. A crowd of 5,000 inside the Tactix’s home arena watched the home side look comfortable for three quarters, only for the Auckland team to find another gear when it mattered most.
For long stretches this looked like a night that belonged to the Tactix. The opening quarter finished locked at 12-all, and the home side edged their noses in front before the main break to lead 26-25. They stretched that to 40-35 by three-quarter time, and with their ten-game home winning streak on the line the Tactix appeared to have one hand on the win.
Then the Mystics turned the screw. Two tactical timeouts in the final quarter steadied the visitors, and a wave of defensive pressure helped them reel off the goals they needed to level the scores at 48-all when the final whistle sounded. The contest spilled into a five-minute period of extra time each way, and there the Mystics held their composure to win the extension 5-3 and seal the two-goal victory.
Goal shoot Maia Wilson was the steadying influence the Mystics needed, finishing with 38 goals from 40 attempts and proving ice-cool when the pressure was at its highest in extra time. She found a willing partner in goal attack Filda Vui, the pair feeding off a slick midcourt where Peta Toeava and Tayla Earle worked the ball into the circle time and again. At the back, captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson and Phoenix Karaka stiffened the Mystics’ defence as the game tightened.
The Tactix had plenty to be proud of despite the loss. Towering import goal shoot Charlie Bell, who stands at 1.97 metres, was rock-solid in the circle and a constant aerial threat on the high ball, while midcourter Holly Mather kept the supply line ticking. The home side’s defensive trio of Fa’amu Muliaga, Laura Balmer and Ash Barnett hustled all night and combined for eight deflections, the kind of disruption that had the Mystics on the back foot for much of the contest. In the end it was a forgettable fourth quarter, in which the Tactix managed only a handful of goals, that cost them.
The result carries real weight at the business end of the season. By taking the points the Mystics stayed clear at the head of the table and moved a step closer to wrapping up the minor premiership, which in the ANZ Premiership brings with it the right to host the grand final. For a side chasing silverware, the value of playing that decider in front of a home crowd is hard to overstate.
It also continued a remarkable run of nerve in tight finishes. Only a week earlier the Mystics had needed extra time to get past the Southern Steel in Invercargill, edging that one to move level at the top of the standings, as reported here. Two extra-time wins in seven days, both away from home and both after trailing, says plenty about a team that has learned how to close out the moments that decide seasons.
There was a sting in the tail for the Tactix beyond the scoreline. The defeat snapped a home winning streak that had stretched to ten matches across the past two seasons, a run that had made their Christchurch arena one of the toughest places to visit in the competition. The champions will not be too downcast, though. They picked up a losing bonus point for finishing within five goals and have already booked their place in the finals series, so the road to defending their title remains open.
For neutrals, the match was another advertisement for a domestic competition that keeps delivering close finishes. Three of the season’s recent top-of-the-table clashes have now gone the distance, and the gap between the leading sides looks as narrow as it has been in years. With the regular season winding down, every goal is starting to matter in the race for hosting rights and seeding.
The Mystics will now look to finish the job and lock up the minor premiership, while the Tactix regroup with the finals firmly in mind. On this evidence, a rematch between the two when the silverware is on the line would be box-office viewing. You can follow the run home on RNZ Sport, with the full match report also carried by Scoop.
What did you make of the Mystics’ late surge, and can anyone stop them lifting the trophy on home court? Have your say in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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