A disastrous start came back to haunt Otago when it was denied a spot in the National Netball Championship grand final by just one goal.
Last night's heartbreaking 46-45 loss to defending champion Southland in Invercargill left a sombre Otago team reflecting on what might have been.
"We're totally gutted. It was our dream to be out there in the final, and dreams are possible, but we just needed to do the work a little earlier," coach Nicola Jones said.
For captain Jodi Brown, the score was testament to the intense battle on court.
"Last time we played Southland we lost by 10 goals. I think we've done very well and can be proud of ourselves," she said.
Otago will face Canterbury for the second time in three days in the play-off for third place today.
"It's always that one you just want to toss the coin and say `go home', but this is a chance for us to finish our campaign on a really positive note," Brown said.
While Otago would prefer to erase the first quarter of yesterday's clash from memory, the lacklustre display left improving the only option if it was to give Southland anything more than a training run.
The home team ran rampant, notching up a 6-1 advantage in the first seven minutes to leave Otago floundering in its wake.
Southland defenders Dana Bond and Kylie Young feasted on any loose ball and Otago did not take its chances.
Jones revamped her attack, with goal shoot Jo Morrison, goal attack Lizzie Sandom and wing attack Rihi Salter replacing Greir Campbell, Brown and Kate Shearer respectively.
It worked, and Otago stormed back into contention with a tenacious defensive approach to outscore its opponent 8-3 in the first five minutes of the second quarter.
Hayley Saunders, Emma Moynihan and Louise Thayer wreaked havoc on Southland's flow, and errors seeped in to the home side's game.
Morrison's 100% strike rate inspired Otago to a 22-21 half-time lead.
Southland player-coach Natalie Avellino brought on 17-year-old Ashleigh Smith at goal shoot, taking the wing attack bib herself to mend a crucial link.
After drawing level at 29-29, Southland began to capitalise on turnover ball to earn a 34-32 buffer heading into the final spell.
Smith took the pressure in her rather lengthy stride, slotting 10 from 10, and Southland limited Otago's chance to spoil the party.
But, with five minutes remaining, a stellar intercept from Moynihan sparked a revival and Otago was able to close the gap.
With just seconds on the clock, it could have drawn level but the rebound, and the game, was snatched away.
In the earlier semifinal, Auckland-Waitakere held off a determined Canterbury 56-50 to book its final spot against Southland.
The final starts at 4.30pm today.
• National championship
Otago v Southland
Otago 45 - Jo Morrison 23 goals from 27 attempts, Jodi Brown 14/16, Lizzie Sandom 7/7, Greir Campbell 1/3.
Southland 46 - Ashleigh Smith 18/21, Natalie Avellino 8/10, Julianna Naoupu 20/28.
Quarter scores: 1st, Southland 13-6; 2nd, Otago 22-21; 3rd, Southland 34-32.
