The Northern Mystics have scored a 51-34 victory over an injury-hit Southern Steel side in their opening trans-Tasman netball championship match in Auckland.
The Mystics, with five Silver Ferns and a former Australian star, took their time getting up to speed at led by just 3 after the first quarter, however that improved through out the game.
The Steel, semifinalists last year, were always going to struggle without injured players Daneka Wipiiti, Natasha Chokljat and Sheryl Scanlan and had Tania Dalton and Liana Leota suffer injuries during the game.
Mystics captain Temepara George, making a solid comeback from off-season ankle surgery, says her side picked up from a slow start once their confidence in each other grew.
Catherine Latu shot 86 percent and Maria Tutaia 71 percent for the Mystics, while Paula Griffin with 76 percent was the best for the Steel.
