Southern Steel

Janine Southby has had little time in the past week to consider the possibility of coaching the Southern Steel next year.

It is never too late to make a good impression but Steel shooter Daneka Wipiiti has certainly left it to the 11th hour.

Northern Mystics coach Debbie Fuller is confident her side can cope with the pressure and book a spot in the trans-Tasman netball league playoffs in their must-win match against the Southern Steel in Invercargill on Sunday.

The Southern Steel is out of playoff contention but could spoil the New South Wales Swifts' prospects with a win at the Edgar Centre tonight. Netball writer Adrian Seconi looks at what went wrong for the combined Otago-Southland side this season.

It was a case of both teams falling away rather than surging ahead.

Some numbers are special - others are a curse.

Perhaps it was desperation, maybe it was frustration, but the decision to switch around shooters Paula Griffin and Daneka Wipiiti worked wonders in the Steel's 49-40 win against the Canterbury Tactix at the Edgar Centre on Saturday afternoon.

The Southern Steel and the Highlanders will swap their respective playing kits for a bit of glamour tomorrow night, to help raise funds for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

Motivated by the season-ending injury to its inspirational captain, Sharelle McMahon, the Melbourne Vixens dispelled the Southern Steel 42-33 in Melbourne yesterday.

Two of the Steel's most indefatigable personalities will reach a significant milestone against the Melbourne Vixens tomorrow.

Even the most ardent Steel fan would have taken some joy from the smile on Maree Bowden's face after the Canterbury Tactix' surprise 49-44 win against the Steel in Christchurch last night.

Southern Steel delivered their best performance of the year with a hard-fought 52-48 win over Adelaide Thunderbirds in a trans-Tasman netball league match in Invercargill last night.

Confidence is a fickle companion. Last season, Steel co-captain Liana Leota was a model of consistency and did not have to sacrifice one ounce of her trademark flare. She simply had the belief to turn and pass and found her targets with a rare efficiency.

Steel coach Robyn Broughton will not admit it but the franchise's hopes of reaching the play-offs are slim at best following a disappointing loss to the West Coast Fever in Perth on Saturday.

Southern Steel's wait for an historic win in Australia continues after the trans-Tasman netball league's most prolific scorer guided West Coast Fever to a tense 50-47 victory in Perth.

Work in progress.

All netballers are equal, but some netballers are more equal than others.