Silver Ferns shooter Daneka Wipiiti, experienced defender Sheryl Scanlan and former Australian international Natasha Chokljat are all carrying injuries and may lose the race to be fit in time for the campaign opener.
Of most concern is Wipiiti, who injured her ankle during the annual pre-season tournament in Queenstown late last month, but is said to be making good progress.
"Daneka Wipiiti is continuing her rehabilitation and we will make a call closer to the weekend," Steel coach Robyn Broughton said.
"We still have a few days up our sleeve and we will use them."
The 1.94m shooter is a key member of the side and, if she is unavailable, the Steel will be forced to start Otago shooter Te Paea Selby-Rickit.
The promising 19-year-old has plenty of raw potential but starting in a ANZ Championship match would be a huge step up from age group netball and the national championship tournament.
Chokljat missed the pre-season tournament with a calf strain and is still "undergoing further treatment". She is in the same boat as Wipiiti.
The news was more positive for Scanlan. The former Silver Fern has been struggling with an ankle injury but has made good progress. She is a possible starter but may not be risked so early in the tournament.
Liana Leota has recovered from her calf strain and Leana de Bruin's ankle injury has cleared up.
The Steel struggled to compete in Queenstown with de Bruin, Leota, Chokljat and Scanlan sidelined and lost all its five games, some by large margins.
Its lack of depth was exposed. With the compressed nature of the tournament this year, teams will need a strong bench and that may prove to be an Achilles' heel for the Invercargill-based franchise.
