While the Southern Steel have lost their opening two games, which extended their winless streak to 20, they were vastly different losses to start their ANZ Premiership campaign.
They lost 52-35 to the Mainland Tactix where they were reduced to just four goals — their lowest score — in the first quarter.
It was disappointing for coach Reinga Bloxham and they were unable to pull it back.
"Bit disappointing because we’d worked really hard to get to that point, so that performance was a bit gross, to be fair," Bloxham said.
The Steel then lost 61-52 to the Northern Mystics on Monday, and while it was still a loss, it was a performance Bloxham was much happier with.
They executed what they had been practising, and pressured the defending champions, who never really looked comfortable all game and got over the line thanks to their long-standing connections.
"I think there was a massive shift from the first game to the second game.
"There was still a few errors and things during that Mystics game, but yeah, I definitely felt like we had them under the pump a lot of the time and we were really growing in confidence as that game went on which is awesome."
Now they just need to retain that confidence, fine-tune their work down the court, and pick up more ball on defence, and they will really test teams.
Shannon Saunders played the first half, as she returns from a knee complaint, and made a big impact.
But it was her level-headed nature and experience in the attack that was the most important.
"She was calm, and cool, and controlled when she needed to be , but she also projected that calmness out to the rest of the unit," Bloxham said.
"It just gave them a lot of confidence in her being out there, and I feel like with her there, everyone else knew ‘right, this is my job, I just need to go and do that, and she’ll do her job’."
Saunders provided a lot of feedback from the bench, too, which was invaluable for young Ivari Christie who replaced Saunders and allowed Christie to see how things should work.
Shooter Grace Namana has been a standout and slotted all 33 of her attempts against the Mystics.
She has made the most of her opportunities with George Fisher out for the season, and Jen O’Connell returning from injury.
"To be able to walk off the court after 60 minutes and shoot 100% at goal attack, and also goal shoot, is a massive effort for anyone in this competition," Bloxham said.
"She is definitely going to be a player that people will actually stop and think ‘right, what do we have do do against her now?."
Namana will be tested tomorrow against Silver Ferns defender Kelly Jackson (nee Jury), when the Steel need to lift another level against the Central Pulse in Wellington.
The Pulse have already beaten the Northern Stars and Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic without injured co-captain and Silver Fern Tiana Metuarau.
Training partner and former Southern Steel shooter Kiana Pelasio has been filling the void, alongside contracted shooter Khiarna Williams, who has missed the past couple of seasons through injury.
For Bloxham it is about controlling what the Steel could do up against a slick Pulse side.
"When you have two performances like we’ve had that have been quite different, I think the biggest thing for us is to search for that consistency.
"We have to be able to do our jobs more consistently and we have to be able to do them for longer.
"It’s also about use being able to absorb the physicality of the Pulse, because they play a quite tight man-on defence."
ANZ Premiership
The squads
Southern Steel: Jen O’Connell, Georgia Heffernan, Grace Namana, Shannon Saunders, Ivari Christie, Kate Heffernan, Renee Savai’inea, Abby Lawson, Jeante Strydom, Taneisha Fifita
Central Pulse: Amelia Walmsley, Khiarna Williams, Kiana Pelasio, Whitney Souness, Paris Petera, Maddy Gordon, Parris Mason, Kelea Iongi, Fa’amu Ioane, Kelly Jackson
