Players are working overtime to stay in the fight and do their best to claw back the big
scorelines.
But you cannot win games without scoring off your own centre pass or picking up gains on defence.
The Steel fell 62-38 against the Central Pulse in Wellington last night.
The Steel converted only 53% of its centre passes, compared with the Pulse’s 78%, and picked up seven gains to the Pulse’s 21.
It was similar story to the rest of the season, with the Steel producing a better final quarter.
There was more width and depth on attack, better flow through the court and Kate Burley and Courtney Elliott worked together to pick up more ball on defence.
Yet it was a disappointing way to finish, two days after the Steel pushed the Northern Stars, losing by only two goals.
"It was tough," captain Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit told Sky Sport.
"They were really classy.
"They kind of made us ... they squeezed us in, and we played right into their hands, and when you do that and you have to try and throw it over someone like Kelly Jury, it’s really tough.
"I don’t think we really reacted very well to that, but there were some really nice moments.
"It’s just when we’re down, we’re really down, and we make mistake after mistake . . . so we need to look at that, and try to make the mistakes more few and far between, or eliminate them."
The Pulse was slick and made the Steel pay across the court.
Tiana Metuarau, playing her 100th game, was silky smooth throughout the court and showed her class.
Georgia Heffernan continued to develop for the Steel in the shooting circle.
She showed a lot of maturity against an experienced Pulse defensive unit, and scored the goal of the game, with her toes just inside the circle for a long bomb at the end of the first half.
It was a physically encounter, with bodies mopping the floor regularly for both sides.
There were early signs of trouble for the Steel as it gave the Pulse a four-goal lead.
Metuarau’s court craft was second to none and led her side down in the attack end.
That gave the Pulse the opportunity to get its timing right and flow through the court was solid.
Once the Steel’s defensive circle adjusted, it shut down the first option in to the circle and made the Pulse work a little more.
Equally, at the other end, Jury and Kristiana Manu’a were all over everything and confused the Steel’s space.
The Steel struggled to get the volume of ball to its shooters but came right at the end of the quarter to trail by five.
Jess Allan replaced Saviour Tui at the break and was more comfortable at the post, finishing on 90%.
The Pulse was calm on attack, with Maddy Gordon and Whitney Souness having all the time in the world with the ball.
But when they ramped it up, its ball speed and change of direction ripped the defence apart.
Burley did everything she could at the back and some questionable calls went against her in the circle.
The Pulse went on a run of five at the end of the quarter — the same runs that have cost the Steel all season long.
The home side pushed on to be up at halftime and continued throughout the game.
The Steel now returns to Dunedin for a game on Sunday, when it plays the Mainland Tactix.
ANZ Premiership
The scores
Central Pulse 62
Amelia Walmsley 52/57, Tiana Metuarau 10/13
Southern Steel 38
Saviour Tui 11/13, Georgia Heffernan 18/23, Jess Allan 9/10
Quarter scores: 14-9, 27-17, 45-28, 62-38
