NORTHERN Mystics fell short of a grand final appearance in the 2020 ANZ Premiership season, finishing third with goaler Grace Nweke headlining their shooting circle. Heading into Round 1 of the 2021 season, Nweke and the Mystics have a new mantra which the club are looking to implement entitled “Mystics mana”, with the side focusing on taking the next step to be competition favourites and dominate the league.

“We have a new team vision called Mystics mana and it underpins everything that we do. The English translation of mana is to have strength and to be strong and to have pride,” Nweke explained. “We have an acronym for mana and it underpins all of our actions on and off the court and it’s the way we want to play and the way we want to be seen.

“Obviously the ultimate goal for every team in the competition is to come out on top and so obviously that’s what we are working towards.”

After showing glimpses of brilliance last season, the Mystics are eager to go one better this season and definitely have the personnel to do so. Inconsistency seemed to be the main issue last season, with Nweke highlighting her side’s inability to close out important games and their desire to iron out that kink ahead of the upcoming season.

“Mystics are known, you know, for one week having a show-stopper and everyone is like ‘what can they do next week’ and the next week we can’t back it up, so I feel like consistency to be able to come in every week and put out a steady performance and get those wins when the games are close.

“I think that consistency is what we are working towards this season to finish strong.”

Nweke took like a duck to water in the 2020 season, despite it only being her first official year as a member of the squad. The young goaler was forced to adapt on the fly, not only out on the court but so too off it taking into account elements such as school commitments and netball – not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Last year was a really good year for me I felt. It was my first full season with the Mystics so it was hard for me to get into a routine of my new normal being school, starting uni and being a professional athlete and just figuring out what that was like. I quite enjoyed that opportunity.

“Obviously it was a struggle with COVID, having our season not sure if it was going ahead or not and cut short and then not being able to actually finish the final game. But I think we were really lucky to actually get back on court and have a season in the end so yeah that was really cool.

“In terms of the netball stuff, I think we started quite strong and we had a couple of good games and we were kind of on that third placed, second placed spot and giving the top teams quite a good run and then I felt towards at the end of it we turned a bit onto ourselves. There were a few key games we should have won that we couldn’t finish and it kind of came back to bite us.”

Recruiting the likes of Ama Agbeze down back and welcoming back Bailey Mes from injury, the Mystics boast a wealth of talent and firepower this season, something that Nweke is more than excited about heading into Round 1. Mes brings a wealth of composure and class to a relatively inexperienced shooting line-up and will be a welcomed addition out on court. Her influence is profound not only under the post but across the court according to Nweke.

“Yeah it’s massive for us as a whole. She has so much experience and knowledge that she brings not just to the attacking end but the entire team that is invaluable and just having her back for me personally it just builds some confidence and kind of like reassurance and a little bit less pressure, like pressure is taken off me. We can just work together as a unit but as a team we are just so stoked to have her back. She brings so much and we already play so much better with her there.

Playing alongside the likes of Filda Vui, Saviour Tui and Asher Grapes last season, Nweke quickly became the staple under the post with the goal attack position consistently changing whilst she locked down the goal shooter role. Her added height and aerial presence played a key role for the Mystics along with her ability to withstand the constant physical barrage against opponents a component the side will be hoping to take advantage of once again in 2021.

“Yeah it’s definitely been interesting. We obviously didn’t see much of Bailey last year with her knee injury so we had a very young shooting circle so that was another challenge that we faced. I think we definitely rose to the challenge last year and put out a good performance that was definitely helped by our midcourters, our centre and wing attack who are both really strong players.”

Despite the constant personnel changes, Nweke made it clear that she backed herself in each and every contest. This mentality and belief is what often spurred on the Mystics, especially when the going got tough.

“In terms of the goal attack position, I feel quite confident in my game that I can support any goal attack that plays in front of me. I just know that if I do my job well they’ll find their job easier and they’ll be able to support me as well. I think because I have played with Bailey for two years now and Filda, our new goal attack who has just come up, she has been in and around the Beko (pathways) environment for a number of years.

“So I’ve played with all of the girls who are playing goal attack this year. It’s just really easy to adapt when you’ve had that time to connect with them.

Another staple for the Mystics is the ever-reliable Peta Toeava with the wing attack a key cog in attack. Her delivery into the goal circle, timing and sheer netball smarts are integral to the squad and a feature that Nweke values out the front.

“Just more of the same from Peta, she was a rock for us last year. She is one of those players who just gets the job done and you kind of forget that they’re key until you don’t have them on the court. So yeah just more of the same from Pets, just her vision and connection with all the shooters, the way she can read the game on attack and defence is amazing. She really carries the attacking end on her back I feel like, and we are just lucky to have her.”

With plenty of talent across the court, a couple of experienced names littered throughout the squad and a wealth of depth the Northern Mystics are shaping up nicely ahead of the season opener against a very new-look Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic side on Monday, April 19.