The franchise has never won five games in a row but a win against the Vixens would change that. If the game was in Invercargill it would be a tough enough assignment - but it is not. It is in Melbourne and the Steel has never won an ANZ Championship game across the Tasman.
Fourteen games - no wins. That needs to change and Steel captain Jodi Brown believes her side is well-placed to secure a breakthrough win. It will not be easy. No New Zealand team has won in Australia this season, yet the Australians have not had any trouble, amassing six wins on our shores.
The Steel recorded a gutsy 36-35 win against the Swifts in Australia during the pre-season tournament in February, and the Steel's recent form suggests it is capable of pushing the Vixens.
''Our form in the last four weeks has given us some belief that we can go over there and do it,'' Brown said.
''I think the great thing about this team is we have not been too fazed about where we're playing. While we acknowledge we have not won a real game in Australia, it is definitely within our sights.''
The Steel has made some promising strides forward since it was defeated 59-56 by the Pulse in Palmerston North on April 14 and Brown puts it down to patience.
''We've really shown more patience on attack in the last four weeks and we know we can score quickly with Jhaniele [Fowler] at the back.
''In the first two or three games we were guilty of throwing it away and being really silly with the ball. And defensively we've just been growing and growing.''
Fowler leads the tournament in scoring with 412 goals in eight games, and her combination with goal attack Brown has really started to flourish. Brown leads the competition in assists with 153 but stepped up her shooting game in the win against the Magic in Invercargill on Saturday.
Teams have struggled to find an answer for the towering Fowler. Her 1.98m frame creates match-up difficulties and teams have resorted to double-teaming her. But that creates space for Brown, who is a fine shooter in her own right.
Defenders Rachel Rasmussen and Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick have surprised with their efforts. Most teams target the Steel's defence as an area of weakness, but the combined Otago-Southland side has held its own.
''Look, I think they will look to exploit our defence. The Vixens have got Tegan Caldwell and Sharelle McMahon, so they will look to use their speed and run the defence around.''
As for why it has proven so tough to win games in Australia, Brown said she was at a loss to explain it. However, she felt the differences in umpiring contributed to a poor record.
''The biggest thing for us is the way we will deal with the umpiring. The umpiring is definitely different between Australia and New Zealand. We need to adjust really quickly. If we can do that, then we have proven against teams like the Swifts that we can finish games off.''
Do not forget the Edgar Centre is hosting an ANZ Championship match between the Canterbury Tactix and the Adelaide Thunderbirds on Monday.
