Positives for Steel despite 20th loss in row
THERE is good news and bad news.
The good news is Shannon Saunders played her first minutes for the Southern Steel and they showed what they are capable of with an experienced attack line.
The bad news is they lost 6152 to defending champions the Northern Mystics and slumped to their 20th consecutive ANZ Premiership loss last night.
But they will take a much confidence from that performance when they rode the Mystics the entire game at ILT Stadium.
The Steel drew the third quarter 1414 and it was a much improved performance.
Once they have all players available for an entire game – Saunders and Kate Heffernan were sidelined for part of the game as they return for the injuries – there is hope for the rest of the season.
They just need to cherish the ball more, pick up more ball on defence, and not put each other under unnecessary pressure.
The Mystics showed just how important having those connections are, and even when they did not play their best, that experience among the group allowed them to chip away for their lead.
Despite having a heavily strapped knee, Saunders barely missed a beat and was a leader in their attack end.
She gave the Steel more depth on second phase and that opened up the court to give the ball to shooter Grace Namana, who was named player of the game after slotting all 33 of her goals.
Namana used her body to open up space and her connection with Georgia Heffernan continued to blossom.
But the Steel struggled to pick up a lot of ball and trailed 1613 at the first quarter.
Peta Toeava’s speed crushed the Steel on defence and the wing attack’s ability to swing the ball opened up her shooters.
Kate Heffernan was dogged in her defence through the second quarter.
The Steel pressured the Mystics high, forcing Grace Nweke out of the circle to relieve the pressure.
But when she went to pass to the top, Kate Heffernan was there to snaffle it up and keep the Steel in touch.
While the Mystics were not flashy in their approach, they found the entry into the circle too easy and the Steel needed to pressure more on circle edge.
Saunders was replaced by Ivari Christie for the second half. It took a couple of minute for the Steel to adjust, and the scoreline extended to 10 in favour of the Mystics.
But once they did, they came back strong through an Abby Lawson intercept to be within five.
The Mystics were guilty of being static on attack and just sending the long ball to Nweke without doing the work to get to circle edge.
The Steel, spurred on by their passionate home crowd, pressured more and let the ball go on attack to be within three.
But the Mystics remained calm to ride the momentum shift and capitalised on the Steel’s errors to lead 4639.
Michaela SokolichBeatson and Phoenix Karaka showed their experience to pull in the ball when the Mystics needed it most.
They were classy in their finish and showed they can grind out a win from anywhere.