Pressure in from within – Bloxham

The Southern Steel are out to cement a dynasty while the Central Pulse want to win a maiden title and avenge last year’s last-gasp collapse.

Everyone else in the national netball premiership has to wait until they prove themselves by toppling one of the competition’s leading duo, with the Northern Stars and the Northern Mystics getting the first chance when the season starts tomorrow.

The Mainland Tactix and Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic will want to have their say too, but as the ANZ Premiership enters its third year, all eyes are on the Steel and the Pulse, who have met in both finals so far, with the southerners going two from two.

Last year’s win was as dramatic as they come, with the Steel overcoming a 10-goal deficit in the final quarter to topple the Pulse, who had been the frontrunners for almost all of the season.

After emerging triumphant for the second year in a row, the Steel waved goodbye to veteran midcourter Wendy Frew, who played a big part in inspiring that win, leaving a hole for the likes of Kate Heffernan and Kendall McMinn to fill at wing defence.

A year ago, the Steel had lost key figures at either end of the court – defender Jane Watson and Jamaican shooter Jhaniele Fowler – which meant there were few expectations they would defend their title. That’s certainly not the case this year, but the Steel won’t be paying too much attention to outside noise, given the standards they set for themselves internally.

‘‘There’s always pressure from other people, but there’s no bigger pressure than from within,’’ coach Reinga Bloxham said. ‘‘Something we try to challenge ourselves on is to be better than we were before.’’

In the wake of their devastating loss in last year’s decider, the Pulse have placed a premium on improving their ability to cope under pressure.

‘‘We’re doing different activities in training that are not necessarily netball-related, but where you’re still under pressure, where you’re heart rate’s up, and you’re having to make decisions,’’ captain Katrina Rore said.

‘‘It is quite interesting for us to watch each other when we’re doing these pressure type of things; doing things individually with the whole team watching you, you put pressure on yourself to get things right, and it’s interesting to see who’s really good at it, who’s not, and how different people react in different situations.’’

The Pulse have brought back all the core members of their squad from last season and coach Yvette McCausland-Durie said she was proud of the way they had responded after failing at the final hurdle.

‘‘They were certainly disappointed and I guess we all described it as an empty feeling at that stage, but they have reacted really well.

‘‘They’re good people and when they’ve come under pressure that’s shown hugely in their character.’’