LG Mystics getting ready for Season Two

Friday, 27 February 2009

The LG Mystics are ready to go for season two of the ANZ Championships and are looking fitter and more focussed than preparation time allowed in 2008.

 

Training with New Zealand sevens coach, Gordon Tietjens who tried to break the players with his renown fitness regime appeared to help the LG Mystics plenty as they won the pre season tournament in Queenstown beating the Central Pulse, Southern Steel, Australian Institute of Sport and the defending champs the Sydney Swifts by half a dozen goals or more.

 

The LG Mystics team has a solid squad with an interesting player signing who will arrive right on time for the first couple of matches.

 

English shooter Pamela Cookey, should provide plenty of goals and experience as the 24-year-old was a member of the English team which won bronze at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and silver at the under-21 world champs in 2005 as well as being a member of the England team at the 2007 world champs in Auckland. Cookey is rated very highly by her national coach Sue Hawkins, a former coach in the Auckland region.

 

Also new into the squad are midcourter Keshia Grant from the Magic who is also a national champion track athlete and Finau Pulu a former member of the Force team from Netball North. Former Silver fern squad member Debbie White from the Steel adds ever more class to the already formidable defence of Villi Davu and Stephanie Bond.

 

And who does Debbie White see as the big Kiwi competition in 2009 “The Steel have a good line-up this year again, the Magic have managed to get an even stronger team than last year and Canterbury have got Ang Mitchell back and she definitely adds depth to that team. I’d like to rate the LG Mystics’ chances, too: we’ve got a youngish side, a new mix of people, a number of players who are quite unknown, but right on the verge of making their name. People probably see us as underdogs, but I think we could be quite competitive,” says the new defender.

Former Silver Ferns Jade Topia, Temepara George and Davu remain in the side from the inaugural season, along with the Rasmussen sisters, Grace and Rachel as well as Bond, Rawinia Everitt and Cathrine Latu.

And while the Mystics may have shown great form in the pre season, they won’t be taking their first match of the 2009 ANZ Championships lightly. It just happens to be the minor premiers from 2008, the Magic. Their lineup includes more than a handful of current Silver Ferns with Irene van Dyk and Maria Tutaia in the shooting circle.

So come along and watch what is set to be a great contest with tickets for this match and all games available from ticketdirect www.ticketdirect.co.nz freephone 0800 4TICKET (0800 4842538) or visit the Trusts Stadium, Waitakere (65-67 Central Park Drive, Henderson).

Prices are $10 for children, $20 for adults and a family pass $40 (2 adults + 2 children).

The game against the Magic starts at 7pm Monday 6 April at the Trusts Stadium. All Mystics home games are at the Trusts Stadium expect for Sunday 12 April versus the Central Pulse which will be played at the North Shore Events Centre.