The team has a rare opportunity when it takes on the New South Wales Swifts tomorrow, and the Central Pulse on Tuesday, in a pre-season tournament in Invercargill.
Talk about competition — the Swifts are one of the most successful Australian teams, winning three titles across two competitions, the former ANZ Championship and Suncorp Super Netball, while the Pulse is reining ANZ Premiership champion.
But the Steel is right at home, having won two premiership titles itself.
And what better way to test yourself than coming up against the best of the best?
Coach Reinga Bloxham was keen to jump at the chance to come up against the Swifts, and playing the Pulse was an added bonus.
"It’s not going to be easy and it’s definitely going to be tough, but that’s the whole point of it and we’re really excited about that challenge," Bloxham said.
The Steel last played against an Australian team in 2018, when the Sunshine Coast Lightning — then coached by former Steel and current Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua — travelled to New Zealand, also marking the last time the Steel played a pre-season game in Invercargill.
Only four players from the Steel’s current line-up were involved back then, and many others have not come up against international players, so the tournament is a good challenge for them to come up against a different style of play.
The Swifts might have a depleted line up — shooter Sophie Fawns is the only fully contracted player crossing the ditch due to a Covid outbreak among the visitors — but that would not change their mentality.
"The Aussies kind of run on your shoulder the whole time. It’s kind of like a fly following you.
"It’s that continual pressure on the body, pressure on the catch and also real big hands over the ball — that’s their strength and they just can run like that for 60 minutes, so it’s very different to how New Zealanders play."
The Pulse is the closest team in the ANZ Premiership to resemble Australia’s one-on-one style, and with the Steel and Pulse rivalry producing "grudge matches" throughout the season, the pre-season game would be another good battle, Bloxham said.
But the key will be testing out combinations, connections and structures on the court after working through the fitness period of pre-season.
Some fresh faces had joined the Steel this season in former Magic captain Sam Winders, midcourter Ivari Christie receiving her first full contract and the return of defender Courtney Elliott, and it was a prime opportunity to see what they brought to the Steel’s game.
"I think it’s really important that although we’ve got a core group of players, we’ve got these other players who have been added in, who are just adding a little bit of a point of difference. So it’s really exciting to be able to test ourselves and try out those combinations with those players in the line up as well."
The Steel play the Swifts at 2pm tomorrow. The Swifts will then play the Pulse at 2pm on Monday, while the Steel will play the Pulse at noon on Tuesday.
