That old cliche
Defence wins games — plain and simple. The Steel desperately need more gains, intercepts, deflections, rebounds, pick-ups and everything else in between. They are good at grinding players down, but they need to up the ante. Taneisha Fifita sits in the league’s top 10 for defensive rebounds (5), followed by Abby Lawson (3) and Jeante Strydom (2) after three rounds. Midcourters Renee Savai’inaea (4) and Kate Heffernan (3) sit in the top 10 for intercepts. But they have to find a way to pick up more ball, whether it be coming off the body and going for a fly, or confusing the space to pick up some deflections. That ball also needs to be treasured when they bring it through the court and turned into points.
Consistently consistent
The Steel look great in patches and can really pressure teams, but their ability to do that for a full 60 minutes needs some fine tuning. Coach Reinga Bloxham has already highlighted it as an area that needs improvement, along with being able to do their jobs for a longer period. They go hand-in-hand, really, and they need to be able to absorb the pressure from other teams and still be able to execute throughout the court. The third quarter against the Central Pulse is a prime example. Players went inside themselves at the start of that quarter, stopped giving the ball easily and looked hesitant on their entry to the circle as the defence tightened. Those lulls are killing the Steel. If they can eliminate them and remain consistent for a longer period of time, they will get over the line.
Let it go
Feeders have to have the confidence to just let the ball go into their shooters and let them do the work. The Steel have been getting better in this area, but there are so many opportunities where their shooters are holding good space and they are not given the ball. They have to have confidence in their shooters’ ability to haul in those passes, and the gunners have already shown they are accurate at the post. Grace Namana is the second-most accurate shooter — she has only missed 11 goals and is sitting on 88.2% — behind Silver Ferns star Grace Nweke. Namana holds beautiful space for herself under the post, but the volume of ball getting to her has been limited, and sometimes when it is given, she is no longer free. A full game out of wing attack Shannon Saunders will do wonders.
