In the end, the not so good condemned the Southern Steel to a season opening loss to the New South Wales Swifts at ILT Stadium in Invercargill last night.
The Steel was right in it with seven minutes remaining, the scores locked at 57 57, after the home team rallied from three down at the start of the final quarter. However, the Swifts held their nerve down the stretch, as a raucous home crowd found its lungs.
A crucial Steel fumble allowed the Australians to score three straight goals and pull ahead, before finishing the match with an 11-5 run.
The Steel was guilty of failing to capitalise on turnovers throughout the game. After creating a string of hard earned turnovers, numerous chances to cash in were blown when passes found Swifts' defenders. The Southerners won the turnover battle, intercepted and deflected more passes, but had one less shot on goal.
Jhaniele Fowler Reid was brilliant in the air, snatching pass after pass out of the air, but she would be the first to admit her shooting was not quite up to her usual standard. She missed nine of her 56 attempts, some of them sitters, but the 1.98m Jamaican did snaffle most of the rebounds.
Te Paea Selby Rickit, in her first start at goal attack, connected on 16 of 18 attempts, and dished out 20 assists. Gina Crampton, who got the start at wing attack, racked up 36 centre pass receptions and was heavily involved.
Steel captain Wendy Frew was ''really disappointed'' to lose the match, and said the team's inability to convert turnovers into points was a factor in the loss.
''The turnovers we got were real good team efforts and we were getting them at good times,'' she said.
''Unfortunately, we lost a couple and that's always disheartening. So that's something we will look at, because if you can do that it certainly lifts the whole team.
''They are an experienced side and they showed their heads. We pulled them back a few times and were right in there.
''But at the end of the day, they probably made the smarter decisions at crucial times. That's something we need to learn from.''
Coming up against the Australian conference favourites in round one was always going to be a stern test, and Frew said there were positives to take from the loss.
''I think it's a real promising start. Always love to get the win, but definitely a good building block to start the season with.
''We were right in it. We knew if we showed our A game we would be very competitive against them.''
Coach Janine Southby did not go to her bench all night, opting instead to give her starting seven some quality minutes.
Swifts captain Kimberlee Green said it was always going to be ''extremely tough'' in Invercargill, and was relieved her team gained its first win in the deep South.
She praised goal keep Sharni Layton, who was tasked with defending Fowler Reid, a player 11cm taller than her.
''We know Sharni isn't superwoman - she likes to think she is - but she did a great job on Jhaniele today. Just the movement around her and the ability to get up and get those balls was fantastic,'' she said.
Green also praised her team's calmness under pressure, when the Steel made a strong fourth quarter run.
''That's something we have been working on this year, when we are under pressure, who is going to step up. Today, I thought everyone really stood up.''
In the weekend's other games, the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic beat the Adelaide Thunderbirds 45 44 on the road, the West Coast Fever upset the Queensland Firebirds 57 50 in Brisbane, and the Melbourne Vixens hammered the Central Pulse 64 40 in Melbourne.
The Mainland Tactix host the Northern Mystics tonight in the final game of the opening round.
The Steel hosts the Mainland Tactix in Invercargill on Saturday night.
ANZ Championship
The scores
NSW Swifts 68
Caitlin Thwaites 40/44, Susan Pettitt 28/31
Southern Steel 62
Jhaniele Fowler Reid 46/55, Te Paea Selby Rickit 16/18
Quarter scores: 1st, 17-15; 2nd, 34-31; 3rd, 49-46
