The GoSweetSpot Mystics are back on the road this weekend as they wrap up Round 8 of the ANZ Premiership against the Steel at their fortress, ILT Stadium, Invercargill.

North v South is traditionally a fierce battle and with the teams sitting only two points apart on the Premiership table, and both desperate to lock in a finals position, this match will be explosive.

The last time these teams met in Auckland in round 3, the Steel took home an impressive 11 goal win, and left the Mystics reassessing their season.

Mystics Coach Tia Winikerei explains the change in the team over the following rounds,

“One of the reasons you see a difference in the Mystics team is with the return of Tayla and Katie back into our squad we’re able to consolidate more in the midcourt area. I think what we’re seeing currently is an increased understanding and ability to execute the game plans and the performances that we’re looking for. So I do attribute that to the structures and the leadership within the team. I also attribute it to every person bringing their very best to training and games on every given day and a desire to want to compete and perform for each other.”

Since that fateful loss, the Mystics haven’t missed a beat, winning the last 4 matches and building in confidence and connectivity each match,

“We’re feeling really positive about the last few weeks and we’ve built a lot of confidence and consolidated a lot of what we’re trying to do from a game point of view. So we’re excited to be going down to Invercargill to play the Steel again” says Winikerei.

In front of a packed home stadium and surging in confidence after a tight extra time win over the Magic, Winikerei knows that the Steel will be formidable on Sunday, “The Steel are really tough, they’re competing really strongly and they’re playing good solid netball so we learned a lot around what to expect from them and we know that they will exploit any gaps that we have with a vengence.”

With Aliyah Dunn leading all goal scorers this season, and seemingly unstoppable under the post, containing her might be the key to slowing down this Steel side,

“Aliyah’s been expectional through the competition, she’s a high volume shooter, easy to find in the circle and incredibly smart with what she does. She’s a real weapon for the Steel and it will take a full team effort to minimise her impact,” says Winikerei.

Up against Dunn and Georgia Heffernan is a Mystics defense packed with both youth and experience, height and agility and a dogged determination to disrupt ball into the shooters.

Coming into the Mystics defence as a permanent replacement for Catherine Hall, is Leila Atkins, who has slotted naturally into the team,

“We’re so excited to bring Leila in. Obviously we’re all highly disappointed that Catherine isn’t able to play for us again this season. Leila is rangy, she’s determined and she’s got a great presence on the court. Her shot pressure is exceptional and she has been performing really, really strongly in the NNL competition,” says Winikerei.

Atkins is relishing being in the side, is excited for this match up and has no doubt that they are ready for the Steel,

“I feel confident in the team. There’s been a whole energy shift, we’re on the up. Everybody’s really looking after each other. We’ve been training super hard. I think we can totally beat them. We’re going to be be playing what we know, how we like to play, securing the ball, finishing it off. We’ve got great defence, great shooters and great midcourt too, so just doing our thing will be sweet,” says Atkins.

For Winikerei, the formula to win against the Steel is the same as every match,

“To win against the Steel we need a full team effort, playing to our own game plan, and looking after what we do and playing to our strengths. The Steel have been incredibly clinical so we have to find some gaps and disrupt that.”

One thing is certain, this is going to be the match of the round and is not to be missed!