For the first time this season, the Steel will use a different starting line-up in its crucial match against the Magic in Hamilton tomorrow night.
Defender Jane Watson will start alongside Phoenix Karaka at the defensive end in place of Storm Purvis, who damaged ligaments in her left-ankle against the Central Pulse last weekend.
Purvis is also expected to miss next week's away game to the Pulse, which has caused Steel coach Janine Southby a few headaches this week.
''It's been a bit challenging this week. Losing Storm is a little bit of a blow,'' Southby said.
The Steel has up until 24-hours before the game starts to name an injury replacement, something Southby is expected to do today.
Outside of Karaka and Jane, midcourter Katarina Cooper is the only player on the Steel roster who could cover goal defence or goal keep.
The timing of Purvis' injury could not be much worse as the Steel enters the crucial final stretch of the competition.
However, Southby is confident Watson, who has made five appearances off the bench this year, will slot right in.
''I have faith in Jane and I know what she's capable of. She's certainly been pushing us pretty hard right throughout the season to make us put her out there,'' Southby said.
''The 12 that we have got are capable of taking the court. It's when we get out of that 12 we start getting a little bit scratchy. It's really important the girls just carry on as they have been in the last couple of weeks.''
Watson, who replaced Purvis for the final minute of last week's one-point win against the Pulse, is not feeling any more pressure ahead of her first start for the Steel.
''It's the same every week. I prepare to play anyway,'' she said.
''I'm feeling pretty confident. I just go out there and do what I can. Work with everyone else and just try and get some ball with the pressure being put on by everybody else.''
Watson and Karaka will have their hands full defending Magic sharpshooters Jo Harten and Ellen Halfpenny, who combined to shoot 86% in their side's 63-57 win against the Steel in Invercargill last month.
''Jo Harden's a quality shooter and we know we have our work cut out trying to stop ball getting into her and then obviously trying to put her off her shot and get those rebounds,'' Southby said.
''It's going to be a real tough game. We're disappointed in our last outing against them ... we certainly felt that we didn't contest well right throughout the court defensively. We didn't put enough pressure on them. And on attack, we were guilty of some really soft turnovers.''
The Magic, which last lost to the Steel in 2013, has not picked up a competition point since beating the Steel four weeks ago, and was surpassed by the Steel in the New Zealand conference standings last week.
While the Hamilton-based franchise had a bye last weekend, it lost 50-42 to the Queensland Firebirds and 54-49 to the West Coast Fever prior to the week off, and is desperate to return to winning ways.
''It's probably one of those must-wins for both teams,'' Southby said.
Tomorrow's match is the first of three away games the Steel will play in its last four regular season games.
If it can back up last week's narrow one-point win against the Pulse with another win, the southern franchise will solidify its position in second place behind the Northern Mystics in the New Zealand conference.
Steel v Magic
Hamilton, tomorrow, 7.10pm
Head to head: Played 16, Steel 5, Magic 11.
Greatest winning margins: Steel 7 goals, Magic 19 goals.
