The Southern Steel was trounced 69-48 by the Pulse in Dunedin last night.
The clash got off to a promising start with both teams trading blows under the goal post for the majority of the opening spell before the visitors edged ahead 15-13 at the break courtesy of a trio of unanswered goals.
In a performance spearheaded by menacing Silver Ferns defender Kelly Jury, the Pulse increased the momentum in the second quarter to notch up a 34-22 advantage at halftime.
Confident on attack, the Pulse’s experienced connections proved instrumental as the margin stretched to 54-33 heading into the final quarter.
A tenacious effort meant the Southerners managed to draw the last quarter.
Steel head coach Reinga Bloxham was pragmatic in her assessment.
“Our intent this week was to give our new connections time to gel under match pressure and I’m pleased with the progress being made out there,” she said.
“It’s always great to take the positives out of a game, but identifying the work-on is where the real benefit lies.”
With the annual hit-out at Otaki cancelled, all ANZ Premiership teams will now retreat into their respective bubbles until the competition opener in three weeks.
“This is a challenging environment and not what you would call a traditional preseason but we all need to play our part to minimise risk and that’s exactly what we’re doing by respecting this lockout period and trusting in the processes the ANZ Premiership have put in place,” Bloxham said.
“It does give us a chance to be creative and initiate new ways to train and prepare for the season and I’m confident we’ll be ready to hit the court when the opening whistle blows,” Bloxham said.
The Ascot Park Hotel-sponsored Steel launches its 2022 campaign against the Tactix on March 13.
