Steel assistant coach Lauren Piebenga did not take the bait when the Otago Daily Times suggested a loss against the Pulse tonight might not be the worst outcome.
The Steel is undefeated with nine straight wins in the ANZ Premiership but lately a loss has seemed possible.
That seemed inconceivable earlier in the tournament, when the Steel was blitzing teams by, well, lots.
The poor old Tactix got thumped 90-41 in round four and there was a 22-point win against the Stars and a 20-point demolition of the Mystics.
Even the second-placed Pulse could not stick with the Steel, losing 63-50 in round six.
But the buffer has shrunk in recent weeks and the Steel was pushed hard by the Magic and the winless Tactix.
Has the Steel dropped off in intensity or are its opponents bridging the gap? Piebenga felt it was the latter.
''I think we are starting to see some tables turned in the competition,'' Piebenga said.
''The Stars have really taken it to a couple of the top-performing teams, so you certainly can't take anyone lightly.
''We are fortunate in that we have established connections, with very limited turnover in our team this year. That probably gave us the front foot to start with but other teams are forming those connections now and challenging.
''So we need to make sure that we are not maintaining but improving what we are doing out on court.''
As for getting a loss out of the way before the playoffs, Piebenga was unconvinced.
''I think that the Tactix gave us a real fright in Dunedin [round seven] and showed us, if a team manages their own ball well enough, they can challenge us.
''That certainly showed that there was a few holes in our armour. It gave us a good reality check, so I don't think we need a loss.
''We are our own harshest critics. We are very good at identifying what we are not doing well and what we need to do to work on that.''
Piebenga has enjoyed a charmed run as a coach. She led the Otago under-21 team to two nationals titles and also collected back-to-back national title with the Otago team.
And last year she guided Netball South to glory in the Beko Netball League.
She joined the Steel as the assistant coach in November. It is a fulltime position and she has been ''learning plenty'' in a ''fantastic environment''.
''The kind of attention to detail you can give your preparation is much greater because of the time you've got to put into it.''
She certainly has an impressive track record and Piebenga is ambitious.
''I've really enjoyed what I've done in the past and working my way up through the ranks.
''I don't think I have any specific end point in mind. It is just about keeping the challenge there for me and making me step outside my own comfort zone.
''I certainly love the franchise environment and hope, at some stage in my career, to have the top job.''
