With five Silver Ferns and a former Australian star coming off the bench, the Mystics came into their own as the game at the Trusts Stadium evolved, winning 51-34.
Semifinalists in 2010, the Steel were always going to be hard-pushed to play at their finest with three of their most knowledgeable players - Daneka Wipiiti, Natasha Chokljat and Sheryl Scanlan out through injury.
Mystics captain Temepara George, making a solid comeback from off-season ankle surgery, said her side picked up from a slow start once their confidence in each other grew.
The opening minutes were unruly for both sides, with optimistic passes failing to find their mark, and neither team making an early impression on the game.
Defenders on both sides had a field day, in particular Steels Leana de Bruin and Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit, initially unnerving the Mystics star-studded attack.
Selby-Rickits teenage sister, Te Paea, was hardly given a gentle introduction to ANZ Championship netball as the Steels goal shooter, up against Silver Fern defender Anna Scarlett.
But it was a four-goal streak by the Mystics before the first quarter break that gave the home side an advantage, 10-7, that they never relinquished.
The confidence of the Mystics frontline began to blossom as the second quarter ticked over, with flashes of awe-inspiring flair from Temepara George, Maria Tutaia and Cathrine Latu. Continuing on from where she left off last season as one of the most deadly shooters in the game, Latu missed just one of her first half attempts.
Led by great down-court vision from co-captain Liana Leota, the Steel managed to throw a stick in the spokes of the Mystics who had got on a roll and extended to a seven-goal lead. But again the Mystics gained speed at the end of the spell, to go into the second half up 24-16.
Steel coach Robyn Broughton went to her bench at half-time and brought on veteran Tania Dalton, the 29-year-old former Fern called into the side after a five-year absence to bolster the injury-hit shooting circle.
Dalton replaced 19-year-old Te Paea Selby-Rickit in an attempt to improve the Steels off-colour shooting statistics, but her return was shortlived, leaving the court with a calf strain before the quarter was over.
When Rachel Rasmussen joined Scarlett in the Mystics defence circle, the flow through court became more decisive.
Ten goals up going into the final spell, the Mystics new coach Debbie Fuller looked to the evergreen Megan Dehn, at wing attack, to trial a new attacking combination with George. Dehn is no stranger to the Northern style, having played for the Force in the old national league competition, and her understanding of Latu and George was immediately obvious.
http://www.anz-championship.com/news/a/mystics-burn-up-the-court-in-nz-season-opener/590
