The old adage of defence winning matches will come under close scrutiny when the defensive-minded Vixens host the Steel's red-hot attack in Melbourne tonight.
Talk about a clash of styles. The Steel is the highest-scoring team in the competition, averaging 63.6 goals, while the Vixens are the No 1 on defence, conceding 43.4 goals a game.
Something has to give - and history suggests the Steel will be the first to crack.
The combined Otago-Southland team has never won an ANZ Championship match on Australian soil and trails the Vixens 3-2 in the head-to-head count. But the Steel has won its past four games and is playing some fabulous netball.
The Vixens will start as favourite but do not be conned - they are certainly not unbeatable.
Yes, you did read in this newspaper just last week that you could pencil the Vixens in for a win. We have changed our mind. The Vixens were thumped 57-46 by the much-improved Swifts at home in the last round - their heaviest loss since round 12, 2011.
The Steel enjoyed a 60-55 win against the same opponent in round seven. That performance was perhaps a turning point. It was the sort of game the Steel would have lost last year and even earlier in the season. Steel shooter Jhaniele Fowler produced a remarkable performance with 59 of the Steel's 60 goals. She will be the main threat again.
The 1.98m Jamaican international is the competition's leading scorer with 412 goals in eight games - that is an average of 51.5 goals. She has scored more than 80% of the team's goals with goal attack and captain Jodi Brown mostly happy to feed Fowler instead of shooting.
Brown leads the competition in assists with 153 at an average of just over 19. If the Vixens can keep Fowler and Brown under their season average, they would have made a big steps towards winning. That job will fall to the competition's leading defender Geva Mentor - or Mentor the Tormentor.
The England international has earned her nickname through uncompromising defence and a tireless work ethic. She will be giving up 10cm to Fowler in the circle, but if anyone can help stem Fowler's prolific scoring, it is Mentor.
She leads the competition in defections (54) and intercepts (23), and her combination with Bianca Chatfield should pose the Steel's attack end a few problems.
The midcourt should be reasonably even. Madison Browne is a dynamic wing attack and superb feeder, but the Steel's Phillipa Finch is enjoying good form and Courtney Tairi had her best match in the 65-58 win against the Magic in the last round.
The Steel's defensive end of Rachel Rasmussen and Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick has not been the weakness many thought. The pair have held their own but will have to lift their effort again, and so will their opponents.
The Vixens have not needed to score as many goals to win games with their defence operating so well. Shooters Karyn Howarth, Tegan Caldwell and Sharelle McMahon have combined for 410 goals - two goals fewer than Fowler's personal tally.
So, despite all the pre-game talk being about the other end of the court, the game could be decided by how well the Vixens attack can operate against the underrated Steel defence.
ANZ Championship
Steel v Vixens
Where: Hisense Arena, Melbourne.
When: Tonight, 9.40pm.
Record: Played 5, Steel 2, Vixens 3.
