Southern Steel defender Carys Stythe hauls in the ball against Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic defender Saviour Tui during their ANZ Premiership clash in Dunedin. PHOTO: MICHAEL BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY Amid the outside noise, the Southern Steel produced their best season in eight years to finish as runners-up in the ANZ Premiership. Netball writer Kayla Hodge looks back at a season to remember. The oil Losing a final is always a bitter pill to swallow. But dig a little deeper and you can see why the 2026 season gets a massive tick in the success column. Three years ago, the Steel could not catch a break and were ravaged by injuries. They were getting thumped, lost 21 games on the trot and went winless in 2023. Making the final in 2026 marks some kind of turnaround. The Steel finished the regular season second with eight wins and two losses and returned to their first playoffs since 2021. They beat the Mainland Tactix in the elimination final to advance to their first final in eight years — since they went back-to-back in 2017-18 — and clicked across the court. Stadium Southland regularly sold out, the Edgar Centre was sold out for the first time in the franchise’s 18-year history, and there was a real buzz around the style of netball they produced. Carys Stythe, Georgia Heffernan and Kimiora Poi were all selected for the Silver Ferns’ Commonwealth Games campaign and Aliyah Dunn was recalled as a non-travelling reserve. That is success on its own. Coach Wendy Frew, ably helped by assistant Jess Whitfort, brought the squad together nicely, and nearly every player commented on the connections they built to guide them this season. They played smart, simple netball and were united throughout the court. They all sang each other’s praises, saying the person on their left and right made them look good and always put the team first. It has been a long time since they regularly beat top teams by double digits and learnt how to push on when they gained the lead to retain their momentum. If the ANZ Premiership returns next year, and the Steel can keep this crew together, the title will be back in the South before long. Best game Always lovely when there are several contenders for this spot compared to the other. The second-round victory over the Northern Stars was a beauty and set the platform. Revenge against the Tactix in round 10 was also sweet. But it is hard to look past the 60-54 elimination final against the Tactix in front of a sold-out crowd. If there was ever a game where everything clicked, this was it. Dunn and Heffernan shot at 95%, the attack line was humming around them and at the other end, Stythe had 11 gains. Worst game If their best game was against the Tactix, so was their worst one. The Steel have been honest all season that their 55-42 loss to the Tactix in their opener was a shocker. Nothing quite worked and they struggled to find their groove. Thankfully, they rectified that quickly. League leaders Aliyah Dunn: 486/505 at 96.2% Serina Daunakamakama: 261 centre pass receives Carys Stythe: 25 intercepts, 75 deflections MVP Hard to separate the bookends. Shooter Dunn and defender Stythe were on another level for the Steel this year. Dunn was nearly flawless under the post — she had the highest volume and was the most accurate shooter in the competition — while Stythe plucked in unthinkable balls and put the fear into opposition shooters. A career-defining season for both. Honourable mention Georgia Heffernan stepped into the Steel’s leadership group and took over as captain when Kimiora Poi was ruled out for the season. Took the confidence from her first full season with the Silver Ferns and produced her best season for the Steel to date. Bright future Look no further for a future Silver Ferns wing attack than Serina Daunakamakama. The pocket rocket was outstanding. She controlled the attack end and really came into her own. After being drafted as an injury replacement in 2024, Daunakamakama found her voice this season and there was no stopping her. kayla.hodge@odt.co.nz
