Transtasman netball is back for at least another year. Otago Daily Times netball writer Robert van Royen looks at the Southern Steel's prospects.
Finishing teams off.
If the Steel can do that, they should be well placed by the time the playoffs roll around in July.
Had they been able to do it last year, they would have had more than three notches in the win column.
Time and time again the Southern franchise was in position to win games, before fourth-quarter collapses doomed it.
In six of its nine losses a year ago, the Steel lost the final quarter.
"I hope so,'' Steel defender Storm Purvis said when asked this week if the fourth-quarter meltdowns were a thing of the past.
Former coach Janine Southby and new coach Noeline Taurua both attributed the late-match slumps to a youthful squad lacking in experience.
Last year's team included two regular starters - goal shoot Te Paea Selby-Rickit and wing attack Gina Crampton - who had not started a single ANZ Championship game before the season started.
Midcourter Stacey Peeters, defender Jane Watson and shooter Sophia Fenwick also lacked experience at the top level.
While Fenwick is no longer with the Steel, the team does have two rookies - shooter Jamie Hume and defender Abby Erwood - in the squad.
Minus them, everyone else has another year under the belt, which should help the team when it faces similar situations down the stretch as it did last year.
After poor starts to recent seasons, it is important the Steel turns around its early season troubles and gets off the mark early.
Its first four games are against fellow Kiwi teams, meaning it can make a statement with a good early run.
The Mystics and Magic, who both finished above the Steel last year, will again probably be the biggest obstacles.
But the Pulse have perhaps regressed this season and the Tactix are going to find the going tough yet again.
Led by towering Jamaican goal shoot Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, the Steel will not have any problems scoring goals.
The Steel scored more goals (759) than any other team in the league last year, but conceded the second-most (775) behind the Tactix (801).
While the team has lost defender Phoenix Karaka to the Pulse, Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit is back after playing for the Pulse the past four years.
She and Purvis should combine well, while Watson, who impressed during her 10 appearances (two starts) in her first season with the team last year, is more than capable.
Barring injury, Erwood probably will not see too much court-time in her first season at this level.
The midcourt is a strength for the Steel.
Captain Wendy Frew, who is on target to play her 100th game for the franchise against the Tactix in Christchurch on June 5, will lead the team.
She will probably start at wing defence, meaning Silver Ferns Shannon Francois and Gina Crampton start at centre and wing attack, respectively.
There is no doubt the pieces are there for the team to contend for the New Zealand conference title, and after showing much promise in recent years, the question is, can Taurua take the team to the next level in her first season in charge and achieve a playoff appearance?
