The Southern women conceded 11 goals in their opening two games but coach Sam Brown believes his team is still on track for fifth or sixth in the national league.
Southern was smashed 5-0 by Canterbury in its opening match in Timaru last Saturday, and lost 6-0 to Capital in Wellington the following day.
While it was a humbling experience, Brown said his side would be bolstered by the arrival of Australian import Mathilda Carmichael, and the return of forward Pip Symes, for tournament week, which gets under way on the North Shore on Saturday.
They were competing in the junior world cup in Germany and missed the opening weekend.
Carmichael will add starch to the defence and Symes is a hugely promising striker whose ability to score will make Southern a much more threatening proposition.
''Having those two back will add a lot more depth and strength to our side,'' Brown said.
''Pip will give us a lot more penetration up front and Mathilda will really be that leader at the back.''
The other key player in the Southern line-up is midfielder Louise Mitterdorfer.
The 25-year-old midfielder played for the Netherlands under-21 side before moving to Australia to play in that league.
Despite a poor start to the tournament, there were some positive signs for Southern as it prepares to play North Harbour on Saturday.
Canterbury boasted an impressive back three of Bridget Blackwood, Jenny Storey and Pippa Hayward and Brown thought the score ''reflected the quality that Canterbury, and obviously Capital on that second day, has in their setup.
''We've looked at the video footage and we had opportunities and we did get some circle penetrations, but were just missing that last step.
''For us, there is a fix there. Being able to address that this week will hopefully stand us in good stead against North Harbour.''
Harbour also had a tough opening weekend, losing 3-1 to Midlands and 2-0 to Northland.
It is a game Brown believes his side can target for a win. Later in the week, Southern plays Central, which is another good match-up for the Dunedin-based team.
''We're looking to take a real positive attitude into the North Harbour game and also against Central.
''Central have two really strong Black Sticks in Kayla Sharland and Emily Naylor but I think both are carrying injury niggles. So when we play them later in the week, depending on how they are going, it could be a real target game for us.''
Brown said the key for his side would be to lift its tempo and intensity.
''All the Black Sticks are back playing this year and they lift the speed at which the game is played. Our girls were probably caught a bit off guard, so we need more intent and intensity.
''We need to look to dictate the game just like other teams try to do. There is no reason we should just default to playing reactive hockey.
"We need to be a lot more proactive and execute what we are trying to do with a lot more intent.''
