Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel v Mystics – Rd 9
July 6, 2025
A whopping big pothole just appeared in the road to the ANZ Premiership finals for the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel.
The 56-52 loss to the top-of-the-table Northern Mystics dealt a huge blow to the Steel’s odds of making the playoffs and left them in the undesirable position of relying on other results to fall in their favour.
The scenario now is simple. The Steel must win its final round robin game next Monday against the Go Media Stars at ILT Stadium Southland, and hope the Avis Magic topple the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse on Friday night.
Head coach Wendy Frew said while the result was disappointing, the performance was not.
“I thought the girls left it all out there, they really did. They committed to the game plan and we tried everything we could,” she said.
“We were definitely in it to win it but that’s how sport goes. It’s definitely hurting. It was a quiet changing room and we’re disappointed we didn’t get the three points because now it depends on other factors if we are going to make the top three.
“It was a very defensive game with a lot of turnovers from both sides. At times we put the Mystics under a lot of pressure as a defensive unit. Our wing attack and goal attack did a lot of good defence through the court.
“It was definitely there for the taking so we will have to go and have a good look at it and see where we went wrong and what we can improve on.”
Acutely aware of the importance of the penultimate round robin showdown in Auckland, the Steel fought bravely throughout but, like their opponent, will be ruing the turnover tally.
The tussle pundits predicted quickly emerged as both sides unleashed a smothering defensive tactic and battled for control.
With their attack under pressure, soft turnovers impacted the flow of play for the southerners. Mystics goal keep Catherine Hall was particularly menacing with a total of 11 deflections to her credit.
Her Steel opposite Carys Stythe continued to impress with some defensive prowess of her own, collecting three intercepts and five deflections.
With the Mystics eager to nab hosting rights to a home ANZP grand final, the stakes were high for both teams and the intensity reflected it with possession swinging like a pendulum.
The Steel seemingly timed its strike to perfection, showing all of their renowned spirit and grit to turn a three-goal three-quarter time deficit into a one-goal lead with just over five minutes to play.
Mystics goal attack and super shot specialist Filda Vui stepped up in the heat of the moment to calmly sink two double-pointers – and the hearts of the Steel.
With time running out, the Steel lost any opportunity with panicky play as they desperately sought a miracle change in fortunes but deservedly came away with a bonus point.
With their season hanging, the Steel also had milestone celebrations to add to the mix with midcourter Kate Heffernan lining up for 100th national league match and Stythe her 50th.
In an exciting opening, the lead changed hands several times, both teams taking time to settle into the match where defence played a big part. The Mystics all-smothering unit defence proved effective while the Steel employed a zone defence which was as equally valuable.
Respective rising young goalkeepers Hall, for the home side, and Stythe picked off the spoils as both sides traded turnovers. A late rally, iced by a super shot with five seconds remaining gave the Mystics a 16-12 buffer at the first break.
The second stanza followed a similar trend, the Steel getting off to the best of starts before being reeled in by the home side.
The visitors did a terrific job of shutting down the Mystics attacking options to force the hosts into error while eating into the deficit early in the piece. On the other hand, the Steel showed resolute patience on attack with Georgia Heffernan and Dunn all composure under the hoop before momentum swung the other way.
With the Steel momentarily hitting the lead, the introduction of Katie Te Ao at centre for the Mystics and the defensive work of Hall, Holly Rae and Michaela Sokolich-Beatson helped turn the tide.
Te Ao and Peta Toeava found their connections with strike shooter Donnell Wallam in building an impressive attacking unit while continued pressure at the other end put the squeeze on the Steel.
Enjoying more possession, the Mystics finished with a strong surge to build a 30-24 lead at the main break.
With both sides taking great care of their possession, the pair traded goals through the opening five minutes of the third stanza.
Wallam, who at times was unstoppable and finishing with the striking figures of 45 from 49, remained the steadying rock under the Mystics hoop but the Steel were far from done in delivering a threatening response. Showing creativity on attack and defensive ability to create turnover opportunities, momentum once again took another swing.
With a big lift in energy after denying the Mystics in the attacking third and picking off valuable ball, through Kimiora Poi, Renee Savai’inaea, Abby Lawson and Stythe, the southerners cut into the deficit.
The ice-cool Dunn, who delivered an impressive 38 from 38 return from the match, played the perfect role in the Steel circle with her poise, positioning and pin-point accuracy as the Steel went on to win the quarter 16-13. That left the match delicately-poised and up for grabs when the Mystics led 43-40 at the last turn.
Official Result and Stats:
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel: 52
Northern Mystics: 56
Shooting stats – Steel
Aliyah Dunn: 38/38, super shot 0/1
Georgia Heffernan: 10/13
Grace Namana: 3/3, super shot 0/1
Shooting stats – Mystics
Donnell Wallam: 45/51, super shot 0/2
Filda Vui: 5/6, super shot 3/4
ANZ Premiership Player of the Match: Carys Stythe (Steel)
