HEADING into her 11th ANZ Premiership season, 31-year old Northern Mystics and Silver Ferns shooter Bailey Mes will be out to redeem herself after missing the 2020 season.
The opening test of the Nations Cup against England in Birmingham last year was the last game Mes played before being sidelined with a knee injury. Despite the niggling knee injury throughout that game, Mes was still named player of the match.
As a goal attack, Mes does a lot of work to set up play that may go unnoticed, both by the crowd and the stats. Mes works in overdrive out the front of the ring, going for centre pass receives instead of leaving it up to the centre and wing attack to bring it down to the circle. This way, she allows they goal shooter to set herself up as she wants, and keeps at least one defender out of the ring to create space.
Of course, this ‘staying out of the ring’ technique would not work if Mes did not have an incredible front cut and ability to read play. By playing the ball outside the circle, she almost lulls her defender into complacency, before striking with a fast front cut straight into the ring at just the right moment.
The second test of the 2021 Constellation Cup against the Diamonds was the first game back for Mes, playing three quarters in goal attack for the Silver Ferns. Her 16 centre pass receives were the highest centre pass stat for the day, and given she only shot three goals from five attempts, it was highly reflective of Mes’ playing style.
At 31-years-old, and with that knee injury in the back of her mind, it is hard to know how much longer Mes will continue to play. Before her knee injury, Mes was shooting at 89 percent accuracy, with 241 goals during the 2019 season. This year, she would be aiming to beat that and prove that she is back, stronger and better than ever.
Going into 2021, Mes will be a great mentor for the young Mystics shooters in Grace Nweke, Saviour Tui and Filda Vui, who had to step up last year without her.
Finishing in third position on the 2020 ladder, the Mystics will be looking for a spot in this year’s Grand Final, and Mes just may be the key to getting them there.
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