‘Tough’ draw for Steel

TRAVEL, five doubleheaders and backtoback games against the Pulse should shake the Steel from any postlockdown slumber.

The ANZ Premiership revised draw was released yesterday, and Steel coach Reinga Bloxham described it as tough.

The competition was suspended in March after just one round while the country battled the Covid19 pandemic.

But the tournament will resume in Auckland on June 19, with a match between the Magic and the Mystics. The Steel is up the following evening with a fixture against the Tactix.

The franchise has its first doubleheader the next weekend. It is the first of five; there are also backtoback games against the Pulse on July 4 and 10.

‘‘It is pretty tough,’’ Reinga said.

‘‘There is no part of the draw that is going to be easy.’’

The Steel struggled for chemistry in its shooting circle in its 5448 loss against the Magic in Dunedin on March 16.

Fixing that will be near the top of the agenda, but so will managing the players’ workload.

The schedule is demanding enough. But, with all the games in Auckland, the Steel will have to

overcome the travel burden, too.

The tournament will run for 10 weeks. The matches will be played from Friday to Monday and broadcast live on Sky.

The season is closed to the public to meet restrictions on mass gatherings. It culminates with a tripleheader finals series on August 23.

Netball New Zealand chief executive Jennie Wyllie said it was exciting to see the ANZ Premiership returning to action.

“While the situation is not ideal, it has also allowed for . . . innovation around how we continue to present matches as a vibrant spectacle and maintain maximum engagement with fans and viewers,” she said.