The MG Mystics are putting the finishing touches on preparations for what is set to be an action-packed ANZ Premiership elimination final versus the Trident Homes Tactix this Saturday 27 July at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch.

The defending champions pipped the AVIS Magic for third on the table to qualify for the elimination final by defeating cross-town rivals the Stars in last weekend’s final round-robin match at Pulman Arena.

It was a tense wait for the Mystics to see who their opponent would be in the elimination final, with the Tactix falling to a fired-up Te Wānanga O Raukawa Pulse playing at home in Wellington on Monday.

If a grand-final spot and the chance to claim back-to-back ANZ Premiership titles isn’t incentive enough, the Mystics will be aiming for a victory in honour of their captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson who will be marking her 100^th national league match during the elimination final.

The much-loved skipper has been a mainstay of the Mystics since her debut in 2016, making this her ninth season with the side. Sokolich-Beatson has overcome consecutive achilles injuries throughout her career to not only cement her place as one of the country’s top defenders, but to make her long-awaited return to the black dress, featuring in the latest Silver Ferns squad to contest the 2024 Nations Cup after a five-year international absence.

The Mystics are vying for their third ANZ Premiership title, to add to their existing two from 2021 and 2023, and their first ever back-to-back. The Steel and the Pulse are so far the only two teams to have won consecutive ANZ Premierships since the competition began in 2017.