The Northern Mystics kept their unbeaten record intact after snatching a dramatic last-gasp 55-54 win over Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel to close out Round 3 in Dunedin on Monday.
Take a look at the three match-ups coming in Round 3 of the 2025 ANZ Premiership.
Opening Round 2 in style, the defending champion Northern Mystics put a definitive marker in the sand when posting a decisive 59-48 win over Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse in Auckland on Saturday.
The Mystics maintained their recent dominance in the Northern Challenge, a surging second half pushing them to a 71-55 win over an injury-ravaged Go Media Stars at Eventfinda Stadium in Auckland on Sunday.
Based in Auckland, the Northern Mystics were formed in 2007 and represent the Netball Northern Zone whose geographical region stretches from Kaitaia to Waiuku. The Northern Zone has 17 Netball Centres and four satellite venues. The Zone makes up 34 percent of the playing population in New Zealand.
Effectively a merger between the two former National Bank Cup teams, Northern Force and Auckland Diamonds, the Mystics subsequently became founder members of the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship in 2008.
The Mystics remained for the duration of the ANZ Championship, which ended in 2016, and since 2017 have represented Netball Northern in the ANZ Premiership. Netball Northern is the governing body that represents the Auckland and Northland regions.
Yvonne Willering became the Mystics first coach, in 2007, and Temepara Bailey (nee George) its first player.
The Mystics had their best season in the ANZ Championship in 2011 when the Debbie Fuller-coached team made the Grand Final but had to settle for the runners-up spot when losing to the Queensland Firebirds. They finished third in 2012.
In the ANZ Premiership, introduced in 2017, the Mystics clinched their first-ever domestic silverware after a 14-year wait when winning the 2021 title.
The Mystics’ playing strip is predominantly blue while their home venues are The Trusts Arena, Eventfinda Stadium and Vector Arena.