Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel v Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse
June 23, 2025
Belief.
One word which defines the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel’s dramatic 58-57 win over the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse in Wellington.
With victory imperative to keeping its playoff hopes alive, the southerners defied immense pressure to deliver a phenomenal come-from-behind result.
Time would be wasted unpacking the first three quarters of the game if we’re being honest. There’s no denying all of the drama was reserved for the final stanza.
To set the scene, the Pulse held a 50-41 goal advantage at three quarter break.
Testament to the clash’s ‘season-defining’ hype, the physicality ramped up as both sides scrapped for dominance.
It was Steel wing defence Renee Savai’inaea who bore the brunt of the umpire’s wrath following an unintentional collision which sent Pulse centre Whitney Souness crashing to the court … and Savai’inaea to the sinbin.
The adversity of being reduced to six players for the next two minutes hardened the Steel’s resolve even further and they superbly mitigated what could have been a damaging phase on the scoreboard.
A quick glance at the statistics sheet is all the evidence needed when it comes to Steel’s unwavering intent – racking up an impressive 11 deflections across six positions.
A crucial two-point swish of the net from Steel goal attack Georgia Heffernan closed the gap to just one with two minutes remaining. Her Pulse counterpart Tiana Meturau failed to match it, handing Steel the possession needed to draw level with 35 seconds on the clock.
A composed Aliyah Dunn delivered the match winner on the buzzer, sending the Steel bench into raptures.
For Georgia Heffernan, it was a deserved MVP performance.
“We never lost belief. We really thought we could win this game and we really came together as a team so we’re stoked,” she told Sky Sport.
“I knew we needed a two and we’ve been practicing it at training but they haven’t been falling in games so I’m really happy they did today.
“I knew they were going to double man Aliyah because she’s been so dominant so I knew it was a big game for me and we worked together as a team.
“We all had each others’ backs. It felt like we were going to do it the whole time, which is weird.
“Where we’ve been struggling in the past is those critical moments … but I think we were a lot smarter tonight and we came together and looked after each other so that’s really important.”
Steel head coach Wendy Frew was justifiably proud of her athletes.
“It had it all. I’m just so proud of the girls – they left it all out there and that’s all we ask for as coaches,” she said.
“In that last 15, they delivered. I think we were calm and clinical on attack, especially when Renee went off for a few minutes. We slowed the tempo of the game down and the senior players really stepped up in those moments.
“A lot of hard work goes in and to get that result in the last second makes me very proud.
“We just talked about having belief this week, doing our own jobs and having pride in that dress by putting in a really good 60-minute performance. I think we did that tonight. It’s kind of like something’s clicked finally.
“We had that belief. We went into that last time out and it felt like we could do it and you could see it in the girls’ eyes. As a coach I’m pretty proud seeing that and what they delivered in the final few minutes.”
The Steel earned maximum points for a move up the ladder after handing the Pulse their third straight loss.
Just one spot in the ANZ Premiership finals series remains free with the Tactix and Mystics having already sewn up two, currently holding down first and second place on the ladder with a points margin to ensure they will feature in the play-offs.
The Steel, who now move into fourth place, went into the match knowing that nothing less than victory was needed to stay in the hunt for a top three spot and they continually surged against a Pulse team also looking to rediscover some form with only three games remaining in the regular season.
Producing her best performance of their campaign, Georgia Heffernan was instrumental in the result, putting in a high work-rate both inside and out of the shooting circle.
The Pulse looked to have grabbed the initiative in the deciding stanza and when Savai’inaea was suspended for late and dangerous play midway through the spell, many would have expected the hosts to march on.
But in an indication of the ebbs and flows of the game, the Steel stepped up and hurried the Pulse into errors as the intensity lifted another notch – mammoth tussles across the court producing plenty of great moments.
The Steel well-and-truly buried the 25-goal loss they suffered to the Pulse in Round 4 as both teams brought the desperation for maximum points as the business end of the season looms – the Pulse’s defensive efforts helping them to a stronger start on the scoreboard, as they showed greater connections up front to jump out to a 5-2 lead.
Overcoming their early wobbles, the Steel settled into their work against the smothering Pulse defence, showing patience to work the ball into Dunn particularly with goal keeper Kelly Jackson hunting outside of the circle for the hosts.
The disconnect up front from the Pulse has been evident in recent weeks but both Tiana Metuarau and Maddy Gordon rediscovered their links to Amelia Walmsley in the opening stanza.
The Pulse shooter was a key target as the hosts edged further ahead – the quick release, including 20 long feeds during the first quarter, into Walmsley proving difficult for the Steel to halt.
While Walmsley landed the lion’s share of the Pulse’s points, the shooting load was evenly shared between Dunn and Georgia Heffernan in the Steel circle and the visitors went into the first break trailing just 14-16.
Georgia Heffernan picked up from her first quarter efforts on the resumption of play as the Steel hit the front on the scoreboard for the first time and forced the Pulse into personnel changes with Gabi Simpson replacing Fa’amu Ioane at wing defence and the hosts snatching back a slim advantage.
With five goals the difference, thanks to a messy patch of play from the Steel, the visitors used a timeout for a double change on defence with Kate Lloyd and Abby Lawson injected into the game.
It did little to stem the flow of ball into Walmsley, who despite blemishing her accuracy record under the hoop, was still the main scorer for a Pulse team which enjoyed a six-point buffer heading into the super shot period of play.
But knowing that nothing short of a win would suffice, the Steel surged again and a two-point buzzer beater from Georgia Heffernan left the visitors down 30-34 at halftime.
Carys Stythe returned action for the Steel after the break, but the Pulse feeders continued to drive into the pockets for an easier sight of Walmsley as a six-point margin again opened up.
But a timeout was needed from the Pulse as the Steel’s niggle started to take its toll and at the midway mark of the stanza the hosts pounced on two unforced errors to take some control heading into the deciding spell with a 50-41 lead.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Official Result and Stats:
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel: 58
Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse: 57
Shooting Stats - Steel:
Aliyah Dunn 32/35
Georgia Heffernan 22/23, super shot 2/3
Shooting Stats - Pulse:
Amelia Walmsley 49/53
Tiana Metuarau 6/7, super shot 1/2
ANZ Fans' Player of the Match: Georgia Heffernan (Steel)
