Steel up for challenge
THE Steel will look to bounce back from its last Dunedin appearance when it takes on the Mystics at the Edgar Centre tonight.
The side has had a lengthy 10 days off after its last hitout, a close, twogoal win over the Northern Stars in Auckland on April 14.
In the game before that, just two weeks ago — and the side’s last home game — the team took on the Pulse at the Edgar Centre and finished a distant second as the unbeaten Wellingtonbased team won 6650, pulling away in the second half of the game.
The Pulse is still well out in front on the table, a perfect 10 wins from 10 games, sitting on 30 points, and the Steel is second on 20 points, having won six games from nine and earned a couple of bonus points.
Steel wing attack and cocaptain Gina Crampton said the side had a good break after the win over the Stars but had now got back into game mode and preparation.
‘‘We have had a few days away. I just went home back to Wellington for a few days. Nice to relax, but now I’m getting back into it,’’ she said.
‘‘Consistency is always the key word. We have had some really good wins and then a tight win last week against the Stars. I think that was good for
us to have a win like that, as we needed to be challenged and know where we are.’’
Consistency for Crampton was easy to define — intensity and purpose during each 15minute quarter and then building together for the whole 60 minutes.
‘‘We have lapses, but we just have to make sure they are not big lapses. Maybe having a roll of three against us — that is always going to happen. But making sure it is not a roll of five or a roll of seven.’’
She said the side’s familiarity with each other was a key for the Steel and that got it out of tight situations.
As for coming back to the Edgar Centre and making up for the disappointing loss last time
out, Crampton was adamant her team just wanted to put out a good performance no matter where it was playing.
The Mystics started the season poorly and were bottom of the table for more than a month, but have come back into some semblance of form, riding on the back of the good shooting of teenager Grace Nkewe.
The side beat the Magic and Tactix earlier this month and it put up a decent challenge against the Pulse, trailing by just one goal at halftime before going down 5949.
Nkewe and her height will be tough for the Steel to combat, but the side has faced tall shooters before and come out on top.
The last time the sides met was in early March, when the Steel won 6748 in Auckland.
The game marks the 10th match of the season for the Steel, so the season is twothirds over. It will have five games left after tonight — three of them to be played in Invercargill, one in Christchurch and one in Hamilton.
❛ We have lapses, but we just have to make sure they are not
big lapses