Steel better off in long run says Broughton

The Southern Steel produced a mixed bag of results at the SOPA Cup preseason netball tournament in Sydney but coach Robyn Broughton believed the side would be better off in the long run for playing the Australians.

Steel were one of only two New Zealand franchises at the tournament, which gave them a good chance to see how the five Australian franchises were shaping up for the new season – which begins in less than two weeks.

They made a positive start, winning their opening two matches on Friday against Central Pulse and the Adelaide Thunderbirds, but found the going tough during the last two days, suffering three losses and a draw against the classy Australian sides.

With matches played to the shorter quarter length of 10 minutes and Steel trying out different combinations, little can be read into the final results.

Broughton said playing all five Australian franchises was a valuable experience, especially for some of the younger players in the side like Hayley Saunders and Emma Moynihan, who had not encountered their style of play or Australian umpiring yet.

"All the young ones played and I was quite pleased." Broughton said.

"We tried out a number of things. You can't be taking risks during the ANZ Championship."

The Australian sides look like they will be a force in this year's ANZ Championship, with all five teams recruiting strongly during the off-season.

The Queensland Firebirds won all their cup matches, backing up their unbeaten record in the recent Queenstown tournament, showing they could be contenders for this year's title.

Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit has been one of the top performers for Steel during the preseason and Broughton said she stood out in Sydney. Hayley Saunders also continued her steady development when she was given an opportunity out on court.

Daneka Wipiiti received a nasty knock in Steel's final match against the Firebirds yesterday – just two weeks after receiving an elbow to the ribs against the same opponents at the Queenstown tournament.

Broughton said she was doing well last night, though, after resting for the remainder of the match.

Steel have one more pre-season hit-out this Saturday in Dunedin against Canterbury Tactix and the Otago Lois Muir Challenge team before their first ANZ Championship match against West Coast Fever in Invercargill on March 21.

Broughton said there were several areas of their game that needed to be fine-tuned in those matches.

"We still need to make our game more consistent, patient and controlled ... we've certainly got the speed but you have to use it wisely."

Steel will be hoping to have the injured Sheryl Scanlan and Jade Topia available for the games in Dunedin.

SOPA CUP

Steel results from SOPA Cup: beat Central Pulse 35-31 beat Adelaide Thunderbirds 34-23 lost to NSW Swifts 33-23 lost to West Coast Fever 39-31 drew with Melbourne Vixens 32-all lost to Queensland Firebirds 37-24

- © Fairfax NZ News