All 10 ANZ Championship franchises were put through their paces at the Summer Shootout, racking up valuable court time before the season proper starts on March 1.
Playing seven games in just 42 hours certainly tested the depth of the Steel squad.
Coach Janine Southby said the focus was on challenging various combinations.
''It was a great opportunity for everyone to get out on court and to try different options,'' she said.
''With just two weeks until our opening game against the Firebirds, this tournament was crucial in terms of identifying any areas for improvement and where we need to really focus our energies.''
Influential playmaker Jodi Brown, who is recovering from a calf injury, played a limited role at the tournament as a precautionary measure.
However, this opened the door for Olivia Bates to debut in the Steel dress, with the Otago shooter putting in some admirable performances on the international stage.
Notching up a 31-25 victory against the West Coast Fever in a friendly encounter on Friday night, the Steel opened the official tournament with a morale-boosting 25-24 win over the reigning champions, the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
Southby used the match to give the bulk of her players a run, making five changes at halftime. The Steel jumped to a 5-1 lead before a run of goals midway through the opening quarter by the Thunderbirds closed the gap. The Steel led 12-11 at halftime.
The Thunderbirds edged ahead early in the second spell but a reliable shooting effort from Te Paea Selby-Rickit, sinking 13 goals from 17 attempts, kept the Steel in touch, edging ahead in the final minutes of the match.
The Steel then suffered a 34-26 loss to the Mystics, after trailing 17-12 at halftime. Young Steel defenders Phoenix Karaka and Storm Purvis had their hands full nullifying in-form Mystics duo Cathrine Latu and Maria Tutaia.
In game three, the Steel lost 27-18 to the unbeaten Melbourne Vixens. Trailing 11-8 at halftime, Southby injected Jhaniele Fowler-Reid into the circle, and the Jamaican international impressed against the formidable Geva Mentor, to sink nine of her 11 attempts.
In its final game of the day, the Steel clawed back an eight-goal deficit to pull off an unlikely 30-29 win over the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic. Selby-Rickit slotted the winner after the final whistle.
Fowler-Reid was prevented clean ball with some clever play by defenders Bessie Manu and Leana de Bruin. With the timing and flow disrupted, the bulk of the workload fell to goal attack Selby-Rickit, who did more than her fair share of shooting from the outer edge of the circle.
The Steel trailed 17-12 at halftime before Fowler-Reid landed five unanswered goals to draw close. A stunning aerial intercept from Karaka followed, and a penalty shot from Selby-Rickit 3m from the goal sealed the win for the Steel.
Yesterday started on the wrong note for the Steel as it was beaten 42-24 by the NSW Swifts.
Unbeaten throughout the tournament, the Swifts recorded the highest score, with shooter Caitlin Thwaites spearheading the attack with 100% accuracy. The Swifts led 24-13 at halftime.
A 36-24 defeat to the Central Pulse marked the end of the tournament.
The Steel's opening ANZ Championship game is against the Queensland Firebirds on Sunday, March 2, at ILT Stadium in Invercargill.
