They are to netball what location is to real estate, and the Steel has some work to do in that area.
The combined Otago-Southland team was beaten by both the Canterbury men's team and the Canterbury Tactix in Timaru last Saturday, and coach Janine Southby highlighted the connections as an aspect of the game the Steel would need to lift at the Summer Shootout in Melbourne this weekend.
It is the official ANZ Championship pre-season tournament and all 10 franchises will be present.
The Steel's opening match is against the Adelaide Thunderbirds this morning and it also plays the Northern Mystics, the Melbourne Vixens and the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic today. Two more games follow tomorrow.
The matches are played over two 15min quarters and it is the last chance for the Steel to polish its performance before it opens its ANZ Championship campaign against the Queensland Firebirds in Invercargill on March 2.
''We've been doing a lot of training against the development girls and that has been fantastic. But it is not strong enough for us and that is why these games are really critical.
''We had patches where we played well [against the Tactix] but just weren't consistent. That is the main work-on.''
The Steel has been dealt a blow with shooter Jodi Brown and Te Paea Selby-Rickit injured. Otago shooter Olivia Bates has been called in as cover.
Finding some rhythm on attack will be a challenge and Bates is likely to get a lot of court time. However, she is a superb distributor, and with Jamaican international shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid as a target, the Steel should still be a threat on offence.
The team is also working on implementing a new defensive structure, perhaps to take advantage of Erena Mikaere's height. At 1.93m, she cuts an imposing figure but struggled to get court time with the Magic.
Defence was an issue for the Steel last season and the franchise will be hoping Mikaere can help generate more turnover ball.
Summer Shootout: Steel's draw
Today
v Adelaide Thunderbirds, 11am
v Northern Mystics, 2pm
v Melbourne Vixens, 7pm
v Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, 9pm
Tomorrow
v New South Wales Swifts, noon
v Central Pulse, 3pm
