The Southern Steel has drawn another New Zealand side, the Central Pulse, for its opening game of the annual Netball Cup in Sydney.
The Invercargill-based team has attended the pre-season tournament across the Tasman for the past two years as part of its preparation for the ANZ Championship.
The Steel is one of only two New Zealand sides at the tournament this year, with all five Australian franchises competing.
The Steel begins with a local derby against the Pulse on March 5 and plays the Adelaide Thunderbirds later that evening.
The following day shapes as a tough one with fixtures against the New South Wales Swifts, West Coast Fever and the defending champion Melbourne Vixens.
The Steel rounds out the tournament with a match against the Queensland Firebirds on March 7.
The games will be played in four 10-minute quarters.
More immediately, the Steel has pre-season matches against the Canterbury Tactix and the Eastwood Ryde - a New South Wales State premier league team - in Christchurch this weekend.
