For nearly two years, those fans had been starved of success as their beloved Southern Steel went through a long losing streak in the ANZ Premiership.
The streak finally ended on Saturday.
The Steel mounted a comeback for the ages after being down by eight goals in the third quarter to force extra time against the Northern Stars in Invercargill.
A thrilling clash ended in a 63-61 win for the Steel, shattering a 21-game losing streak — the longest in the history of the competition — and marking their first triumph since May 22, 2022.
The Mainland Tactix lost 21 consecutive games in the ANZ Championship, which included Australian teams, while the Western Flyers lost 25 straight games from 2002 to 2005 in the old national league.
From Silver Ferns stars Kate and Georgia Heffernan, who battled away during most of those 21 losses, to unsung heroes Abby Lawson and Renee Savai’inaea, everyone in the Steel played their part on Saturday.
And to break their run in front of the loyal fans who have stood by them week after week in arguably the home of netball in New Zealand? Priceless.
Rejoice in this moment, Southern netball fans — that one was for you.
The Steel’s success followed the Highlanders’ solid, 28-17 win over Moana Pasifika in Tonga.
