The Dunedin contingent of the South team looked pretty comfortable yesterday with the inaugural national league trophy at Dunedin International Airport yesterday.
And why not?
After all, this part of the netballing country is getting pretty comfortable with winning, full stop.
The team was already split by the time five players and two of the coaching staff arrived in Dunedin yesterday afternoon - others had flown to Invercargill - but it is the unified team culture which seems to be shooting the right goals for not only the Southern Steel, but the South national league side.
South coach Lauren Piebenga said the culture in Otago and Southland had a big part to play in the results coming their way this year.
"Girls form really good friendships and work really hard for each other,'' she said.
"But we've got a lot of depth as well in our netball programmes, and we're always looking to change those up to make sure we're meeting the needs of the players and pushing to that next level.''
The national league concept was dreamt up late last year, and serves as an excellent gateway for young players working their way to the professional leagues. But Piebenga was also quick to praise a couple of "old heads'' in Sarah Hamilton and captain Hayley Crofts.
"[They] have both been involved in high performance netball before, so it's really good to have that leadership in the team and help bring these young ones through too.''
South won five of its eight round-robin games, but crucially picked up losing bonus points in its three losses to qualify for the final.
A win against Central in the final round-robin match on June 19 ensured South would have the mental advantage over Central when they met in Sunday's final, and so it proved with a 51-46 win.
"I think just as our connections grew throughout the season, we were able to get some nice ball movement around the circle and play to our strengths at both ends.''
When Piebenga was appointed last year, she expected the league to provide a great chance for fringe Steel players to get game time during the season, and the league certainly fulfilled that role.
"I think it's certainly filling a void that has been there for Netball New Zealand for a number of years and that ability for these girls to step up into a professional environment is in a much better space than it has been in the past,'' Piebenga said yesterday.
"It works both ways as well, with our Steel players being able to play down. While they're not getting court time for the Steel, they're still able to keep that match fitness up.''
