The Trusts Arena, Waitakere is the venue for the highly anticipated final round robin match for the Northern Mystics who will host the Tactix.

Sitting in the top two spots on the Premiership ladder, this match will decide the Minor Premiership Title and Grand Final hosting rights.

It has been 6 weeks since these two sides last met in Rangiora, a match which resulted in the Mystics only loss of the season, something that is top of mind as they head into Sunday’s encounter.

“That round 4 match was hard” says Mystics head coach, Tia Winikerei.  “We certainly didn’t play to our best and Tactix demonstrated then, and in many games after that what a class side they are.  We learnt a lot about ourselves after that game and have used that to fuel our training and performances since then.”

Which seems to have worked, as the Mystics have continued to grow each week, not dropping another match. With a fully fit squad, who have the ability to interchange seamlessly, the team knows that they will need to bring their very best to beat this Tactix side who Winikerei notes have grown in confidence throughout the season.

“The shooting circle is great.  They are high volume and high accuracy.  The defence are tough and highly competitive.  I also think their mid-court has consolidated well within how they are playing.  As well, they have depth on their bench – and have refined how they use their bench throughout the competition.”

Both shooting circles are stacked with talent, can score quickly and have accurate 2-point shooters. But it has been the Mystics side that have taken advantage of the new shooting rule successfully netting 32 2-point shots this season to the Tactix 17.

After facing the Tactix in front of their parochial home crowd in round 4, the Mystics are buzzing to again be in front of a full crowd at Trusts Arena and Winikerei knows how important this is for the team, “Love the home crowd and the full stadium.  So vibrant and exciting.  They can really help us get the win when they are loud and right behind us.  Bring plenty of positive Energy.”

Winikerei promises that this final round robin match up will be, “A tightly contested match with plenty of exceptional skills on display.  It will be an absolute cracker for the fans.”

Sunday 13 th July 2025
Trusts Arena, Waitakere
Mystics Men v Stars Men, 2pm
Mystics v Tactix, 4pm