Steel get their tactics right
Wendy Frew will get a proper Southland farewell after all.
The Southern Steel all but secured a home finals match, edging the Mainland Tactix 59-56 in another nailbiter at Invercargill’s Stadium Southland last night.
With the Central Pulse favoured to lock in top spot and a home final on August 12, the Steel inched closer to nailing down second on the national netball premiership table.
They move to 20 points with two round games to go, all but confirming at least second position and hosting rights for the elimination final on August 8.
That will be music to the ears of southern netball fans, who will be able to give skipper Frew a fitting departure. The Steel have two away games to end their campaign. They were desperate to ensure Southland stalwart Frew, in her 16th season with either the Sting or Steel, would have a home finals game.
Matches between the South Island rivals have been cliffhangers this season and this was no exception. In the previous two games, the scoreline finished 53-52 with each tasting victory away from home.
With 11 minutes left, the sides
(Jennifer O’Connell: 40/49, Te Paea Selby-Rickit: 19/23) Tactix 56 (Ellie Bird: 40/51, Brooke Leaver:16/22) 1Q: 14-17, HT: 30-27, 3Q: 45-43.
were level at 48-48. Tactix goal attack Brooke Leaver was whistled for contact with the Steel clinging to a 54-53 lead. Another Tactix turnover shortly after, effectively sealed their fate.
Losing within five goals handed the Tactix what could prove to be a crucial bonus point come the end of the season. The red-and-blacks hold the third and final playoff spot on 15 points.
A fast start to the third quarter saw the Steel open up a 33-28 advantage, the largest lead either side held, but it was short lived.
The Tactix are a plucky bunch and refuse to fold as they have in past seasons when the going gets tough. They were never far behind on the scoreboard, replying with a mini-run every time the Steel looked set to break away and build some breathing space.
The Steel headed into halftime with confidence after a powerful finish to the first half. They won the quarter 16-10 to go into the main break leading 30-27.
Tactix circle defenders Jane Watson and Temalisi Fakahokotau were prominent early, gobbling up errant passes or poor handling from the Steel. The duo picked up a stack of ball but the Tactix couldn’t make it count as much as they would have liked.
Jennifer O’Connell again led the way in the shooting end for the Steel with 40/49, while Silver Fern Te Paea Selby-Rickit was a great support, converting 19/23.
Ellie Bird anchored the Tactix shooting circle, landing 40/51, but her percentage was slightly down on O’Connell’s at 78 per cent.
After scoring just 36 goals in their last game against the Pulse, the Tactix showed greater flair on attack to begin the match. They shot out to a 17-14 first quarter lead, with the direct route through to 1.96m-tall Bird proving effective.
The Steel struggled against Bird in the previous two contests between the sides and again battled to slow the supply of ball through to her early on. She slotted 12 of 13 in the opening 15 minutes, often receiving the ball right where she wanted it.
Turnovers crippled both sides in the opening quarter. While they both played at a frenetic pace, the accuracy was lacking with each team committing 10 turnovers in the first term.
In the league’s Super Sunday round this weekend in Auckland, the Tactix face the top of the table Pulse, while the Steel meet the injury-plagued Magic.
Steel 59