Round 9, 2011
| | | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
 | Canterbury Tactix | 11 | 25 | 34 | 45 | 45 |
 | Northern Mystics | 15 | 28 | 47 | 58 | 58 |
A punishing third quarter propelled Northern Mystics to a decisive 58-45 win over Canterbury Tactix, to keep their top four prospect well on track, in Auckland tonight.
Mystics controlled much of the match with pace and precision, a fourth quarter rally from the southerners all too little too late. A smothering defensive effort and slick attacking play set up the Mystics crucial win. A home game for the Tactix, the Round 3 match which was due to be played five days after the Christchurch earthquake, was re-scheduled after the widespread devastation caused in the city, including the southerners playing facilities.
Vector Arena hosted tonights match for free, allowing it to be run as a fund-raising event for the Tactix and Canterbury Netball. The Mystics opted to rest standout shooter Cathrine Latu early on, giving 1.87m shooter Bailey Mes her first start of the season while Tactix were without injured Jamaican import Kasey Evering.
Mystics inched their way into the lead on the back of six straight goals late in the first quarter, set up by their imposing back three of Rachel Rasmussen, Anna Scarlett and Joline Henry. A lack of movement from the Tactix attackers left them wide open to the long reaches of the trio, who had a field day picking off numerous intercept ball.
Enjoying the greater share of possession, Mystics rolled out to a 15-11 lead at the first break. Latu was injected for the second quarter, giving the Mystics a range of attacking options as they stretched out to a six-goal lead, the sharp shooter slotting in seamlessly to pot nine goals from nine attempts. The Tactix continued to struggle for penetration through their attacking third, the Mystics defensive screen causing all sorts of problems.
Wily campaigner Donna Wilkins, always at the ready for a challenge, was forced to take most of the southerners shots. The former dual netball/basketball international carried a big workload after Anna Thompson struggled to free herself from the close attention of the Mystics defenders. To their credit, Tactix soldiered on, putting in a solid finish to the half as they pegged back the deficit to just three with Mystics going into the main interval with a 28-25 lead.
Wholesale changes by the Tactix, the main ones being Ellen Halpennys introduction at goalshoot and Thompson moving to wing attack, backfired as Mystics swung into overdrive. The northerners sparkled on attack, midcourt maestro Temepara George leading the charge with Maria Tutaia and Latu in command of the shooting circle. The oppressive defensive effort created havoc in the Tactix attacking line, the continued pressure forcing a flurry of turnover ball as the Mystics rolled relentlessly on. The one shining light, Wilkins propped up a faltering Tactix effort, but she had little support.
In a decisive quarter, Mystics dominated all facets, out-pointing their opponents 19-9 to take a comprehensive 47-34 lead into the last break. Tactix produced a much more fruitful final stanza, showing greater defensive grit and enterprise on attack to chip away at the deficit but were left to rue their poor third quarter.
Match Statistics
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| Goals / Attempts | 45 / 56 (80.4 %) | 58 / 71 (81.7 %) |
| Offensive Rebounds | 2 | 4 |
| Intercepts | 6 | 8 |
| Deflections | 16 | 20 |
| Contact Penalties | 32 | 37 |
| Obstruction Penalties | 7 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 23 |
| Bad Hands | 5 | 6 |
| Bad Passes | 9 | 6 |
Canterbury Tactix
| Position | Player | Gls/Att | A | R | CPR | I | D | P | T |
| GS | Anna Thompson | 11/17 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| GA | Donna Wilkins | 32/35 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| WA | Maree Bowden | 0/0 | 13 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| C | Phillipa Finch | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| WD | Finau Pulu | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| GD | Anna Galvan | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 |
| GK | Charlotte Kight | 0/0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| - | Hayley Crofts | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| - | Ellen Halpenny | 2/4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| - | Kiley Hikawai | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| - | Hannah Poff | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| - | Joanna Trip | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Northern Mystics
| Position | Player | Gls/Att | A | R | CPR | I | D | P | T |
| - | Cathrine Latu | 29/32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| GA | Maria Tutaia | 23/30 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| WA | Grace Rasmussen | 0/1 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| C | Temepara George | 0/0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| - | Kayla Cullen | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| GD | Anna Scarlett | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| - | Jessica Moulds | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| GK | Rachel Rasmussen | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| - | Megan Dehn | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GS | Bailey Mes | 6/8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| - | Kayla McAlister | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WD | Joline Henry | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
