2023 Northern Mystics season

The 2023 Northern Mystics season saw Northern Mystics compete in the 2023 ANZ Premiership.[1][2] With a team coached by Tia Winikerei,[3][4] captained by Sulu Fitzpatrick and featuring Phoenix Karaka, Grace Nweke, Michaela Sokolich-Beatson and Peta Toeava, Northern Mystics won their second title.[5][6][7][8][9] Mystics finished the regular season as minor premiers, finishing above Central Pulse and Northern Stars.[8][10][11] Mystics defeated Stars 74–56 in the Grand final.[5][6][7]

Northern Mystics
2023 season
Head coachTia Winikerei
Asst. coachRob Wright
ManagerMeghan Robinson
CaptainSulu Fitzpatrick
Main venueThe Trusts Arena
Season results
Wins–losses12–4
Regular season1st
Finals placing1st
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Northern Mystics seasons
2024 →

Players edit

Player movements edit

  Gains   Losses

Source:[1][2][8]

Roster edit

2023 Northern Mystics roster
Players Coaching staff
Nat. Name Position(s) DoB Height
  Danielle Binks GS
  Tayla Earle C, WA, WD, GD (2000-04-22)22 April 2000 (aged 22) 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
  Monica Falkner   GA, GS (1996-04-08)8 April 1996 (aged 26) 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
  Sulu Fitzpatrick (c) GD, GK (1992-08-20)20 August 1992 (aged 30) 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
  Catherine Hall GK,GD (2003-12-16)16 December 2003 (aged 19) 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
  Phoenix Karaka GD, GK, WD (1993-11-06)6 November 1993 (aged 29) 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
  Holly Mather
  Grace Nweke GS (2002-02-07)7 February 2002 (aged 21) 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
  Claire O'Brien1 (TRP) WA, C (1997-03-11)11 March 1997 (aged 25) 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
  Michaela Sokolich-Beatson (vc) GD, WD, GK (1996-10-02)2 October 1996 (aged 26) 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
  Katie Te Ao WD,C (2001-04-15)15 April 2001 (aged 21) 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
  Elisapeta Toeava WA, C (1994-03-10)10 March 1994 (aged 28) 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)
  Carys Stythe GD,GK (2003-06-19)19 June 2003 (aged 19) 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
  Filda Vui GS, GA, WA (1996-04-16)16 April 1996 (aged 26) 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Head coach
  • Tia Winikerei
Assistant coach
  • Rob Wright

Manager:
Meghan Robinson
Physiotherapist:
Pat Hunt
Strength and conditioning:
Pera Gibbs


Notes
  • (c) – Captain
  • (cc) – Co-captain
  • (vc) – Vice-captain
  •   – Injury / maternity leave
  • (TRP) – Temporary Replacement Player
Notes
  • ^1 In September 2022, it was announced that Claire O'Brien was leaving Mystics. However she returned as a temporary replacement player for Round 7 following an injury to Tayla Earle. She remained in the squad for the rest of the 2023 season.[8][12][16]

Milestones edit

Debutants edit

  • Mystics #84: Katie Te Ao made her Mystics debut in Round 1 against Southern Steel.[20]
  • Mystics #85: Catherine Hall made her Mystics debut in Round 5 against Southern Steel.[21]
  • Mystics #86: Holly Mather

Sources:[1][2][8][9]

Pre-season edit

Otaki tournament edit

Northern Mystics participated in the official ANZ Premiership tournament, hosted by Central Pulse at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Ōtaki between 17 and 19 February. All six ANZ Premiership teams took part.[22]

Fri Feb 17 Mainland Tactix 54–50 Northern Mystics Te Wānanga o Raukawa  
10.30am
Fri Feb 17 Northern Mystics 50–42 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Te Wānanga o Raukawa  
4.30pm
Sat Feb 18 Northern Mystics 48–45 Northern Stars Te Wānanga o Raukawa  
10.30am
Sat Feb 18 Central Pulse 50–54 Northern Mystics Te Wānanga o Raukawa  
6:00pm
Sun Feb 19 Southern Steel 54–42 Northern Mystics Te Wānanga o Raukawa  
9:00am

Sources:[23][24][25]

Regular season edit

Fixtures and results edit

Round 1
Sat 4 Mar Northern Mystics 64–38 Southern Steel The Trusts Arena  
7:00PM Grace Nweke   46/48 (96%)
Monica Falkner   12/17 (71%)
Filda Vui   6/7 (86%)
Report
Stats
Jess Allan   15/19 (79%)
Georgia Heffernan   14/19 (74%)
Eseta Autagavaia   9/13 (69%)
Round 2
Sun 12 Mar Mainland Tactix 45–54 Northern Mystics Christchurch Arena  
4:00PM Aliyah Dunn   24/29 (83%)
Te Paea Selby-Rickit   20/26 (77%)
Vika Koloto   1/1 (100%)
Report
Stats
Grace Nweke   46/52 (88%)
Monica Falkner   4/7 (57%)
Filda Vui   4/4 (100%)
Round 3
Sun 19 Mar Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 57–56 Northern Mystics Globox Arena  
4:00PM Bailey Mes   28/39 (72%)
Ameliaranne Ekenasio   29/34 (85%)
Report
Stats
Grace Nweke   39/42 (93%)
Filda Vui   13/14 (93%)
Round 4
Sun 26 Mar Northern Mystics 62–59 Northern Stars The Trusts Arena  
4:00PM Grace Nweke   46/46 (100%)
Monica Falkner   15/17 (88%)
Filda Vui   1/1 (100%)
Report
Stats
Maia Wilson   32/34 (94%)
Amorangi Malesala   19/24 (79%)
Jamie Hume   8/14 (57%)
Round 5
Sat 1 Apr Southern Steel 48–64 Northern Mystics Edgar Centre  
7:00PM Saviour Tui   22/31 (71%)
Eseta Autagavaia   6/7 (86%)
Georgia Heffernan   20/29 (69%)
Report
Stats
Grace Nweke   47/48 (98%)
Monica Falkner   17/19 (89%)
Filda Vui   0/1 (0%)
Mon 3 Apr Central Pulse 51–56 Northern Mystics Te Rauparaha Arena  
7:00PM Amelia Walmsley   27/34 (79%)
Tiana Metuarau   17/18 (94%)
Joyce Mvula   7/7 (100%)
Report
Stats
Grace Nweke   45/48 (94%)
Monica Falkner   11/12 (92%)
Round 6
Sun 9 Apr Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 61–62 Northern Mystics Energy Events Centre  
2:00PM Bailey Mes   36/41 (88%)
Ameliaranne Ekenasio   25/27 (93%)
Report
Stats
Grace Nweke   50/55 (91%)
Monica Falkner   7/8 (88%)
Filda Vui   5/6 (83%)
Round 7
Sat 15 Apr Northern Mystics 53–55 Central Pulse The Trusts Arena  
4:00PM Grace Nweke   41/45 (91%)
Monica Falkner   11/12 (92%)
Filda Vui   1/1 (100%)
Report
Stats
Amelia Walmsley   36/50 (72%)
Tiana Metuarau   17/19 (89%)
Joyce Mvula   2/4 (50%)
Round 8
Sun 23 Apr Northern Mystics 60–49 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic The Trusts Arena  
4:00PM Grace Nweke   50/62 (81%)
Filda Vui   10/15 (67%)
Report
Stats
Bailey Mes   24/29 (83%)
Ameliaranne Ekenasio   25/29 (86%)
Mon 24 Apr Northern Mystics 77–79 Northern Stars The Trusts Arena  
7:00PM Grace Nweke   70/75 (93%)
Filda Vui   7/11 (64%)
Report
Stats
Maia Wilson   50/54 (93%)
Amorangi Malesala   27/32 (84%)
Jamie Hume   2/3 (67%)
Round 9
Sun 30 Apr Mainland Tactix 77–79 Northern Mystics Christchurch Arena  
2:00PM Aliyah Dunn  
Te Paea Selby-Rickit  
Vika Koloto  
Report
Grace Nweke   64/66 (97%)
Monica Falkner  
Filda Vui  
Round 10
Sat 6 May Northern Mystics 65–55 Southern Steel The Trusts Arena  
7:00PM Grace Nweke   53/58 (91%)
Filda Vui   12/16 (75%)
Report
Stats
Saviour Tui   41/51 (80%)
Georgia Heffernan   12/17 (71%)
Jess Allan   2/3 (67%)
Round 11
Sun 14 May Central Pulse 62–56 Northern Mystics TSB Bank Arena  
4:00PM Amelia Walmsley   47/57 (82%)
Tiana Metuarau   15/15 (100%)
Report
Stats
Grace Nweke   46/51 (90%)
Filda Vui   10/15 (67%)
Round 12
Sun 21 May Northern Stars 63–58 Northern Mystics Pulman Arena  
2:00PM Maia Wilson   33/36 (92%)
Amorangi Malesala   25/29 (86%)
Report
Stats
Grace Nweke   52/56 (93%)
Filda Vui   11/13 (85%)
Mon 22 May Northern Mystics 64–61 Mainland Tactix Eventfinda Stadium  
7:00PM Grace Nweke   59/69 (86%)
Filda Vui   5/9 (56%)
Report
Stats
Aliyah Dunn   32/33 (97%)
Te Paea Selby-Rickit   29/33 (88%)

Final standings edit

Pos Team P W L GF GA GD G% BP Pts
1 Northern Mystics 15 11 4 930 828 102 112.3% 3 36
2 Central Pulse 15 10 5 802 746 56 107.5% 3 33
3 Northern Stars 15 9 6 889 835 54 106.5% 3 30
4 Mainland Tactix 15 9 6 793 760 33 104.3% 1 28
5 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 15 6 9 791 830 -39 95.3% 4 22
6 Southern Steel 15 0 15 653 859 -206 76.0% 4 4
Last updated: 7 August 2023

  Qualified for Grand final
  Qualified for Elimination final

Source:[26]


Finals series edit

Grand final edit

4 June 2023 Northern Mystics 74–56 Northern Stars    Globox Arena Sky Sport
Scoring by quarter: 21–17, 38–29, 54–45, 74–56
Grace Nweke   70/73 (96%)
Filda Vui   3/5 (60%)
Danielle Binks   1/1 (100%)
Maia Wilson   38/42 (90%)
Amorangi Malesala   17/21 (81%)
Jamie Hume   1/3 (33%)

Source:[5][6][7]

Award winners edit

Team of the season edit

Three Mystics players were included in Brendon Egan's Stuff's team of the season.

All Star Seven
Position Player
GS Grace Nweke
WD Michaela Sokolich-Beatson
Bench
Positions Player
GK, GD Phoenix Karaka

Source:[27]

Mystics Awards edit

Award Winner
MG Motor Fans Choice Phoenix Karaka
He Kakano Carys Stythe
Manawaroa Peta Toeava
Barfoot & Thompson MVP Fitzpatrick Medal Grace Nweke
Peta Toeava
H Toa Matarau (Supreme Award) Michaela Sokolich-Beatson

Source:[9]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "LockerRoom: Ins and outs of netball's No.1 league". www.nzherald.co.nz. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Brendon Egan (4 March 2023). "ANZ Premiership: Your team-by-team guide to the 2023 competition". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  3. ^ "MG Mystics appoint new head coach". www.northernmystics.co.nz. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Former apprentice coach Tia Winikerei to guide Mystics in ANZ Premiership". stuff.co.nz. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Mystics Grand Final win provides perfect send-off for Fitzpatrick". www.anzpremiership.co.nz. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Perfect end for Sulu Fitzpatrick as Mystics beat Stars in ANZ Premiership final". stuff.co.nz. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Mystics give Sulu Fitzpatrick fairytale send-off". www.rnz.co.nz. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e "The real tale behind the MG Mystics' fairytale season". www.northernmystics.co.nz. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "Northern Mystics – History". www.northernmystics.co.nz. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Mystics defeat Stars to clinch minor premiership". www.anzpremiership.co.nz. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  11. ^ Brendon Egan (21 May 2023). "Mystics topple crosstown Stars to secure place in ANZ Premiership decider". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  12. ^ a b "MG Mystics farewell Claire O'Brien". www.northernmystics.co.nz. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Te Ao has netball world at her fingertips". www.northernmystics.co.nz. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Pulse confirm team for 2023 season". www.anzpremiership.co.nz. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Ioane embraces new challenges with Pulse". www.pulse.org.nz. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Tayla Earle ruled out of Round 7 with injury". www.northernmystics.co.nz. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Rhapsody in blue – Sulu hits 150". www.northernmystics.co.nz. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Mystics claim emphatic win over Steel to honour Fitzpatrick's big 150". www.northernmystics.co.nz. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  19. ^ "ANZ Premiership: Northern Mystics mark Sulu Fitzpatrick's 150th with scrappy win". www.stuff.co.nz. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  20. ^ "MG Mystics V Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel". www.northernmystics.co.nz. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Mystics relentless in win over steel to claim Georgie Salter Memorial Trophy". www.northernmystics.co.nz. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  22. ^ "Teams set to test the waters at Ōtaki pre-season". www.pulse.org.nz. 14 February 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  23. ^ "Lapses prove costly for Pulse". www.pulse.org.nz. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  24. ^ "Pulse's true colours begin to show". www.pulse.org.nz. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Pulse end pre-season on disappointing note". www.pulse.org.nz. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  26. ^ "(2023) Fixtures & results". www.anzpremiership.co.nz. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  27. ^ Brendon Egan (3 June 2023). "Who makes the final cut for ANZ Premiership's All Star Seven?". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 12 August 2023.