Melbourne Vixens' defence facing big test

VIXENS captain Bianca Chatfield says the pressure is on the team's defenders to nullify the impact of Northern Mystics' attackers.

Bianca Chatfield

MELBOURNE Vixens captain Bianca Chatfield says the pressure is on the team's defenders to nullify the impact of Northern Mystics' dangerous attackers, rating their strength as the same as the Silver Ferns.

New Zealand's Mystics boast one of the most potent attacking combinations in the ANZ Championship, with their goal shooter Cathrine Latu and goal attack Maria Tutaia both sitting in the top 10 goalscorers in the competition.

While Latu has not delivered the volume of leading scorers Caitlin Bassett, Carla Borrego and Romelda Aiken, she is the competition's most accurate, having missed only three goals for the season at an amazing accuracy of 98.3 per cent.

Chatfield said the two goalers, coupled with the drive of veteran midcourter Temepara George, made the Mystics one of the toughest defensive assignments she and teammates Julie Corletto and Geva Mentor would face this season.

"As far I am concerned, you are just playing the Silver Ferns in terms of how good they are and how good they can be," Chatfield said.

"Cathrine is a fantastic shooter and Maria really complements her game well. But more importantly Temepara is so lethal in wing attack."

The Vixens are on operation strikeback this week after suffering their first loss of the season last weekend against the NSW Swifts in Sydney, which ended a six-game winning streak.

Chatfield said the Vixens needed to get back to dictating terms to opponents, starting with the Mystics.