Preliminary Final Preview: Northern Mystics vs WBOP Magic
Will the Northern Mystics get the chance to avenge defeat from the hands of the Vixens or will the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic finally produce silverware for a New Zealand side?
When they met in the 2011 Preliminary Final, a one-goal victory to the Mystics ended the Magic’s chance of securing a title and left the team to rebuild for another year. Winning 8 of 11 encounters, the Magic have been the dominant force, establishing themselves as one of the strongest New Zealand franchises in the ANZ Championship.
No one can deny the phenomenal return to form for a team plagued by a 4 loss streak opening the season, a credit to the team who have worked their way back into contention with a hot streak of 10 games. They have quality players, knowledgeable coaches and a legacy to build on, it just needed time for the Magic to regain composure.
Competing for the Grand Final shot, the Mystics have certainly shown flair in their game this season. The Harrison 'lift', long bombs from Maria Tutaia and the look-away pass from Catherine Latu show that when they’re hot, no one can touch them. Consistency will be the biggest factor for the Mystics when they line up against the Magic tonight.
Having met twice this season, both teams have had a taste of victory against the other. Round 2 went to the Mystics by six goals while the Magic won in a thrilling round 12 match by only 2 goals. Having successfully made it to every Finals Series since the inception of the competition, the Magic have played every Preliminary Final and 2 Grand Finals.
Laura Langman and Irene van Dyk will be drawing from previous Finals experience to get the Magic over the line. Both players have had outstanding seasons, along with the defensive duo of Casey Williams and Leana de Bruin continuing an intimidating Magic line-up
Latu and Tutaia are crucial for the Mystics, leading off a home side advantage, with Anna Harrison, who looked slightly hampered against the Vixens last weekend with a calf injury but is one of the most outstanding defenders in the league. Her ability to change and impact the game is something the Mystics will desperately need if they want to stop van Dyk from putting up perfect shooting statistics.
3 nominees for the ANZ Championship Most Valuable Player will take the court tonight - including retiring Mystics general Temepara George, who could be playing her last game tonight. The ex-Silver Fern has played every quarter for the Mystics since the competition began, an incredible 69 matches, she has been a leader in every sense of the word.
