The home side lost all five of its games at its annual pre-season tournament in Queenstown.
If that was not bad enough, star shooter Daneka Wipiiti joined the long injury list when she sprained her ankle with about 3 or 4min left in the final game against the Tactix yesterday morning.
She was taken to hospital for an assessment and an X-ray.
Steel physiotherapist Jenny Ferguson said they would have to wait a day or two to see how the injury progressed before knowing with any authority whether there was a fracture or for how long Wipiiti would be sidelined.
Wipiiti joins fellow Silver Ferns Liana Leota and Leana de Bruin and former Australian international Natasha Chokljat and defender Sheryl Scanlan on the sideline.
But there is some good news.
Experienced midcourter Wendy Frew played her first competitive game in six months following corrective surgery on her shoulder, and Leota and de Bruin were rested more as a precaution and should be fit for the the Steel's opening ANZ Championship match against the Northern Mystics on February 14.
Likewise, Chokljat is making good progress from her calf strain and should be good to go come mid February.
Scanlan's ankle injury will prevent her suiting up for the opening game but she is also making good progress.
With just two weeks left before the campaign begins, coach Robyn Broughton was understandably concerned.
She was forced to field some very inexperienced sides during the three-day pre-season tournament and her team suffered some big defeats.
Despite the results not going the Steel's way, Broughton remained upbeat.
"It didn't help team combinations having so many players out."
It was hard to see where the strengths were.
"Never in my career have I had so many injuries.
"There is a lot of work to do with young ones but their hearts are in it and they want to improve and they are listening. They didn't do badly, some of those young ones."
The Steel was beaten 59-43 by the Tactix on Saturday morning but returned with more vigour that evening.
The home side pushed the Pulse but let the game slip in the final few minutes, losing 57-54, and was well beaten by the Tactix 64-46 in its last match yesterday morning.
The Queensland Firebirds beat the Pulse 50-46 in the final to claim the honours.
While the Steel was hamstrung by injuries, the other three sides were close to full strength and Broughton said it had been a good experience for her younger players to compete against the likes of Donna Wilkins, Laura Geitz and Natalie Medhurst.
"Now they know you can't stand and wait for the ball to come to you. You have to go out and get it and you have to drive hard. It is just those little things, which unless you experience them, you are not going to ever get better. So that is a positive."
Otago shooter Te Paea Selby-Rickit showed glimpses of her potential and Otago defender Louise Thayer, who was called in as a replacement on Thursday, gave a good account of herself.
"Te Paea came on really well and, if I can just fix up her footwork, she could be quite lethal. She was rushing a bit too much on the shot and has to learn to be a bit more streetwise about when she puts it up and how."
