Most of the bouquets go to the person at the end of the chain when all they have to do is just pop the ball in the net. If you are the wing defence, well, you may as well be invisible. The goal keep and the goal defender get some attention at least, but that is mostly because of their proximity to the glamour players in the opposition.
Defending can be a thankless task. You might work tirelessly the whole match for a couple of deflections, a rebound or two and the odd intercept. Of course, a couple of deflections, a rebound or two and the odd intercept just might be the difference between winning and losing.
Steel assistant coach Reinga Te Huia understands that more than most. A former Sting player, it is her role to help squeeze every last drop of talent from the defensive unit.
Defence was an area the franchise slated for improvement this season and Te Huia believes progress has been good.
''I am happy,'' she said.
''The group has a lot of different things to offer. It is sort of making our decisions as coaches quite difficult because the young ones are stepping up and then you've got the older, wiser heads in there as well.''
When Mikaere got an opportunity, she made quite an impact but was rested in the historic win against the Thunderbirds - the Steel's first win in Australia - because she had been suffering from migraines that week.
Rasmussen was also absent. She tweaked her ankle in practice and may miss tomorrow's match against the Mystics in Invercargill.
While the Steel was stripped of arguably its top two defenders, Storm Purvis and Karaka performed strongly. And if Rasmussen is ruled fit, then the Steel's coaching staff will have a tough dilemma.
''We have got four good players we can choose from, so we'll have to be strategic and have a look at our opponents and decide which two best suit the opposition.''
The Mystics (ninth) are in a precarious position with one win from five games, while the Steel (seventh) has recorded two wins from five games. Neither side can afford to drop the fixture.
''Every game feels like a crunch match. The competition is wide open and I just know that we are definitely not taking them lightly. It is going to be a real battle.''
The Mystics lead the head-to-head battle seven wins to five but the Steel won the most recent match between the teams 73-63 in Auckland.
Mystics centre Laura Langman will be playing her 98th consecutive ANZ Championship match and shooter Maria Tutaia will play her 94th game.
Steel midcourter Phillipa Finch has played 75 ANZ games and Wendy Frew is the Steel's most capped player with 70 appearances for the franchise.
The match will also bring together two of the tournament's most accurate shooters. The Steel's Jhaniele Fowler-Reid is the leading scorer after five rounds with 193 goals at 91.9%. She is 141 goals away from scoring her 1000th ANZ Championship goal.
Mystics shooter Cathrine Latu is averaging more than 91% for the 2014 season which is actually down on previous seasons. Latu's challenge will be getting into space so she can put the ball up.
''She is an amazing holding shooter and is really strong in the air as well. She is also quite agile and has quick [hands].
''The big thing for us is to try and break those connections down and that will help us to be successful.''
ANZ Championship: Steel v Mystics
Where: Invercargill
When: 7.20pm tomorrow
Steel: Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, Jodi Brown (captain), Shannon Francois, Phillipa Finch, Wendy Frew, Phoenix Karaka, Erena Mikaere, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Storm Purvis, Gina Crampton, Rachel Rasmussen, Stacey Peeters.
Mystics: Cathrine Latu, Maria Tutaia, Bailey Mes, Laura Langman, Anna Harrison, Julie Corletto, Jodi Tod-Elliott, Temalisi Fakahokotau, Jessica Tuki, Nadia Loveday, Erikana Pedersen, Elisapeta Toeava.
