Steel determined to make most of competition format

Southern Steel coach Janine Southby concedes the TransTasman Netball League format has offered the Steel a lifeline and now they are eager to make sure they make the most of it.

Despite winning three games from their 13 round-robin fixtures, the Steel are bracing themselves for a New Zealand conference elimination game against the Magic in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon.

Under the current competition format, the top three teams from both the New Zealand and Australian conferences advance to the playoffs. Southby was disappointed by the young Steel team’s round-robin results but she said they wanted to show what they were actually capable of against the Magic at the crunch stage of the season.

‘‘We feel like we have been given a life and I guess there are going to be questions asked about that. But at the moment it is the way the rules are.

‘‘We have qualified in that third spot and we are going to make the most of it,’’ she said.

‘‘They are really close to getting it right. It has been frustrating because at times we know that we are competing but we just have patches in a game that just let us down. That is a huge learning curve. They are not young but they are very green, as far as that experience at ANZ Championship level. When you are put under pressure, you have to be able to close out games and that is where we have been really guilty of not being able to do that on a number of occasions.’’

Southby can understand why questions have been raised over the format but said it did provide some benefits for the competition.

‘‘The exciting thing was, right up until the end of the competition, teams were still vying for those number two and three spots.

‘‘I think that has to be exciting for the game, because in the past we were halfway through the season and you knew it was a really long playoffs.’’

While many other New Zealand team’s 2015 rosters are filled with players who have now retired, or are soon to retire, the Steel is an exception.

The Steel are a team made up mostly of emerging talent.

shot

to

make

the

Southby is confident they are on the right track with the approach to build a team which is on the way towards being title contenders. That title contender tag might not be attached to 2015 but it could be on the horizon in the coming years, if they can retain players and continue to develop them. However, Southby is not about to concede on their 2015 chances yet. ‘‘We made the decision last year that we are going to go down that track and it certainly hasn’t been an easy thing to do. But I think the girls have taken every opportunity and shown that they are capable.

‘‘I guess it is a new season for us starting on Saturday and it is about us making sure we have learned from what we have done in the past, and show some growth.

‘‘That’s the biggest thing we are looking for.’’

The winner of the Steel-Magic final will advance to the New Zea- land conference final against the Mystics on Monday in Auckland.

New Zealand conference elimination game

Southern Steel v Waikato/ Bay of Plenty Magic Saturday, 3.10pm Hamilton