A full review of the Steel franchise will be conducted at the end of the season but any hope of spending up large to get in some new talent has been dismissed.
The Steel plays its final game of the season tomorrow afternoon, against the Vixens in Invercargill.
A season which started with a bang has ended in a whimper.
The team has lost nine games in a row, but Steel chief executive David Bannister is not totally despondent over the results.
"To be honest, from the outside looking in, it has not been ideal. But you look at our playing roster, with an average age of just over 23 and no current internationals, and we do have one of the smaller player budgets of the New Zealand teams," Bannister said.
"In terms of positives, we have been pleasantly surprised by the young players who have been given opportunities and have played well.
"We would like to have internationals but we can't afford it. We need to be developing our own talent. We'd love to have won more but you have to be realistic."
He said five games had been lost by five goals or fewer and that came down to a lack of experience among players.
Bannister pointed to the promise shown by the likes of defender Storm Purvis and midcourter Gina Crampton.
Injuries had not helped, he said. Sheryl Scanlan, who has battled a calf injury, and Courtney Taieri, who damaged a knee, have missed large parts of the season.
An employment collective agreement was yet to be signed off by both parties, so contracts to sign players for next year were on hold.
A salary cap meant teams could not simply throw money at players.
The Steel made a loss of more than $225,000 last season but this had been pulled around, thanks to some tough calls around player costs, and living within its means.
Bannister said the Steel would make a small profit this year. Though it would be modest, it was still noteworthy, considering the loss the franchise had incurred last year.
Co-coaches Janine Southby and Natalie Avellino were contracted for next season and Bannister said they had worked hard and the partnership had experienced no problems.
Crowds had been slightly disappointing in Dunedin but crowds in Invercargill had held up well.
A full review of the Steel is to be carried out by Brian Hopley, who has a background in professional sport and is the general manager of Rugby Southland. He would be tasked with running an eye over the Steel and all its operations.
Bannister said it was important to get a full overview of the Steel, and Hopley had conducted a similar exercise at the Queensland Firebirds.
