Woeful, inept and bungling all come to mind, but tragic probably sums up the 47-35 loss.
The Steel has made some pretty dismal starts this season but it saved its worst for last.
Hoping to bow out on a high, the combined Otago-Southland side had a horrific opening quarter against the Northern Mystics in Invercargill last night.
Having been outscored 12-6, to the home side's credit it kept fighting and almost made a match of it. Leana de Bruin has been inspirational all season and turned in another outstanding performance. She was responsible for rebound after rebound and intercepted passes with consummate ease.
Down the other end it was a disaster zone. Shooter Daneka Wipiiti probably has not had a worse game in her career. The former international underlined the former part of that title with some abysmal shooting, landing nine of her 19 attempts.
Paula Griffin also started slowly, landing four of her first eight attempts. They got better but the damage had already been done.
By stark contrast, Mystics shooter Cathrine Latu was simply flawless, shooting the perfect game with 27 goals from 27 attempts.
Her effort has helped the Mystics reach the playoffs for the first time.The Mystics will probably have to travel to Sydney to play the New South Wales Swifts in the minor semifinal.
The Swifts beat the Melbourne Vixens 45-33 and are in second place. The Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic is expected to beat the Central Pulse in Taupo tonight and leapfrog them. But if the Magic slip up it will host the Mystics.
The Queensland Firebirds went through the round-robin unbeaten and will host the major semifinal.
While the Mystics will be celebrating their place in the post season, both sides played some pretty ugly netball. The game was marred by turnovers, albeit due to some excellent defence.
Anna Scarlett of the Mystics and de Bruin have been the form defenders in the competition and produced dominant performances. The Mystics, though, coped with the defensive pressure better.
Wipiiti's formed has tailed off dramatically in the past few weeks and she reached a new low last night. With every wobbly shot she threw up her confidence plunged further. She appeared almost frightened to shoot. It seemed cruel to keep her out there and coach Robyn Broughton looked ready to replace her midway through the second period but changed her mind.
Back-up shooter Te Paea Selby-Rickit had fastened her bib in readiness but had to wait until the fourth quarter before seeing action.
Things gradually came right for Wipiiti. She landed five from six in the third quarter, some of which were nice long shots. But by then it was far too late.
The gap ballooned out to 10 goals but the Steel cut the margin with a five-goal run shortly before halftime.
The Steel emerged from the break with more resolve, but the Mystics countered with a five-goal run of their own to re-establish a healthy buffer.
The Steel finished almost as badly as it started, scoring just seven goals in the final 15min to lose by 12 goals. It summed up a disappointing campaign.
Mystics v Steel
The scores
Mystics 47 - Cathrine Latu 27/27, Maria Tutaia 20/32
Steel 35 - Daneka Wipiiti 9/19, Paula Griffin 22/30, Te Paea Selby-Rickit 4/6
Quarter 12-6, halftime 22-16, third quarter 33-28
