Steel ends season unbeaten

Steel Netballers, at Christchurch. Photo: supplied.

Perfect. That is how the Southern Steel can look back on its unbeaten season and 21-game winning streak.

The ANZ Premiership champions had to dig deep despite the lopsided 79-58 scoreline against the Mystics in the Super Club final in Nelson last night.

The Steel showed the strain of a long season and perhaps the burden of expectation in the first half. It lost the services of its captain, Wendy Frew, towards the end of the second quarter when she went down with an ankle injury and limped off the court with tears in her eyes.

But the Steel found a way to win against the Tactix when it had four players ruled out following a car accident last month.

And it drew from the same reservoir to overwhelm the Mystics in the second half.

Towering shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid was instrumental, of course. The Steel juggernaut plundered 65 goals from 70 attempts to lead the attack end
superbly, like she has all season.

Defender Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit had a dynamic game and centre Shannon Francois was busy.

The game was won in the third quarter, when the Steel out scored its opponent 21-12. It had trailed by two goals at halftime, but owned the second half.

The Mystics appeared to run out of belief as well.

The Super Club had the feel of a hastily put together tournament. Some of the teams competing in the inaugural event were a little less than super.

What Steel fans really wanted to see was this team going head to head with the Australian champion, the Sunshine Coast Lightning.

That will never happen now.

The Steel has an enormous recruitment task ahead with star defender Jane Watson leaving to join the Tactix and Fowler-Reid rumoured to be heading across
the Tasman after a five-year stint with the franchise.

Last night’s win will be the last time that group of players is out on the court together and it was a fine way to cap a tremendous season.

In the other games, the Gauteng Jaguars beat Marama Vou 68-49 in the playoff for seventh and eighth.

The Celtic Flames beat the University of Trinidad and Tobago 62-47 to claim fifth place.

The New South Wales Institute of Sport clawed its way back from an eight-goal deficit at halftime to beat at the Pulse 48-46 and nab third place.