Steel await either Mystics or Tactix as preliminary final opponents

THE Southern Steel will have to wait until Wednesday night to find out who it will host in its preliminary final.

Such has been the closeness of this year’s ANZ Premiership that the third and final team into this year’s playoffs will not be decided until the last roundrobin match.

The Northern Mystics and the Mainland Tactix are locked on 17 points each, with both having a game yet to play.

The Tactix will have the first chance to go ahead when they play the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic on Monday in Hamilton.

The Tactix are likely favourites for that game, with the Magic on a fivegame losing streak that began when they lost captain Casey Kopua to injury.

A win would give the Tactix two points, while a loss within five goals will give them one.

That will leave the Mystics knowing exactly what needs to be done to secure a finals spot when they travel to play the topofthetable Central Pulse on Wednesday.

It is undeniably the tougher matchup, but the Mystics have beaten the Pulse already, and the Pulse’s dominance has wavered of late.

If both the Mystics and Tactix win , goal percentage will be the deciding factor.

That in itself is likely to be close, with the Mystics holding just a 1.62% advantage heading into the final round.

Whichever side ends up on top will play the Steel in the preliminary final in Invercargill on August 8.

Steel coach Reinga Bloxham was unfazed as to who the opposition would be, and felt it was so close it could go either way.

‘‘I don’t really care who it is,’’ she said.

‘‘I think it’s quite exciting that it could come down to the last game of the round, though.

‘‘It shows how close competition is.

‘‘Whether it be the Tactix or the Mystics, we’ll just have to make sure we do our homework and control the things we can going into that last elimination final.’’

The winner of that match will progress to play the Central Pulse in the final in Palmerston North on August 12.

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