Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel v VIP Frames & Trusses Tactix
May 12, 2025
It was a tenacious performance to be proud of from the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel, despite being beaten 57-50 by the VIP Frames and Trusses Tactix in Christchurch on Sunday night.
Added motivation in the form of the inaugural Hutton Family Trophy, honouring the memory of the late Kelly Hutton, and her sister Megan, resulted in an intense encounter with plenty of spicy tussles. Ultimately, Steel failed to halt the Tactix momentum in the latter stages and the loss will be keenly felt, especially given they were truly in the hunt for the majority of the match.
For rookie head coach Wendy Frew, there will be plenty of positives to reflect on from her first ANZ Premiership game at the helm.
Dealt a late blow with midcourt maestro Kate Heffernan ruled out of the clash with a knee injury, the Steel showed strong resilience and simply got on with the task at hand, testament to the team culture Frew has been instrumental in creating.
With flow initially impacted by a few nerves, the southerners reset for the second spell and hauled in a 7-point deficit to draw level as the two-point super shot entered the equation. A trademark swish from Georgia Heffernan and Steel had snatched the upper-hand before halftime.
Assistant coach Liana Leota was injected into the game late in the third quarter, notching up her 211th cap and proving class really is permanent with some deft touches.
Defender Carys Style had a memorable debut in Steel colours, earning MVP after racking up some impressive stats in the deflection stakes with nine, while midcourters Kimiora Poi and Serina Daunakamakama were equally sharp on attack.
Steel co-captain Poi was left ruing the final score line.
“I think we just kind of crumbled under pressure. We came at them in the first half but we let the little basics slip,” she told Sky Sport.
“We’ve grown so much over the preseason. Obviously, we want to come out and win but we can take heaps of learnings form that. New combinations are growing and we’ve got more to give.
“Especially on attack, in those crunch times we just need to take care of the ball. We were guilty at times of throwing it out the back or just little loose errors. And on defence, it’s just keeping it tighter so it’s not getting into their circle as easily.”
Poi enjoyed the unexpected chance to play alongside Leota.
“She’s someone that’s just very smart. She works smarter, not harder. She knows the angles and she knows that shooting circle inside out so it was an honour to play with her,” she said.
Leota didn’t hesitate when asked by Frew to get amongst the action.
“I would do anything for this team so putting the dress on for 10 minutes, I would do it all over again,” she said.
“For me, it was just making sure I communicated with them. I pretty much put the attack game plan together so I know it inside out and it was just making sure we stayed connected in those pressure moments.
“There’s a lot of things to take on board but definitely I know there’s a lot to grow with these girls. We’ve got a new structure I asked them to put in so we just really need some time to really nail that down.”
Taking time to find their feet, the Tactix took charge in the second half of the southern derby with more impetus on attack through their young midcourt pairing of Holly Mather and Parris Petera, a lively defensive contribution from Jane Watson and sure shooting from Martina Salmon.
With the game delicately poised and the Tactix leading 42-41 at the last break it was still anyone’s game, the Tactix making a telling push to forge a handy lead in the run home.
Despite being side-lined for two minutes after dangerous play in the final quarter, Steel shooter Aliyah Dunn came back into the action to nail two two-pointers and keep the southerners well in the frame.
The young Steel team made a great fist of challenging the Tactix, whose greater experience proved decisive in the end.
Respective goal shoots, Ellie Bird for the home side and Dunn, in her 100th national league match, suiting up in her hometown colours against her old team, were key figures through the first stanza with both returning blemish-free returns from one-point range.
Neither side had any luck from the two-point arc, the new rule coming into play for the final five minutes of each quarter of matches this season, the Tactix making the most of their extra opportunities to head into the first break with a 14-10 lead.
They were out of the blocks quickly on the resumption, scoring the first three goals before the Steel surged back into contention. With rangy new signing Stythe making Bird earn her goals, the long reach of the defender, who made the move south during the off-season, grabbed a series of clutch turnover ball.
With five goals on the trot, the Steel grew in confidence through their effective defensive pressure and sure flow through court, the experience of Poi and rising young midcourter Daunakamakama having a healthy impact. Drawing level 10 minutes in, Steel goal attack Georgia Heffernan nailed two super shots to nudge the visitors into a 27-26 halftime lead.
A revelation last season, Salmon was injected into the game for the Tactix for the second half alongside wing attack Petera as the teams went goal-for goal throughout a close contest, the shooter going on to have a telling impact.
Crack defender Watson got some classic turnovers under the Steel hoop as the Tactix flexed their collective muscle, Salmon adding to the home team’s impetus with a third quarter two-pointer to push their buffer out to five.
In a tale for the ages, 40-year-old Leota was injected in at wing attack for the visitors for her 211th national league match after playing for several New Zealand and England franchises during a decorated career.
Her presence had the desired result, helping the Steel make another concerted push, a two-pointer from Dunn leaving the match on a knife-edge when the Tactix took a 42-41 lead into the last turn.
Official Result and Stats:
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel: 50
VIP Frames & Trusses Tactix: 57
Shooting Stats- Steel: Aliyah Dunn 35/40, Georgia Heffernan 10/19
Shooting Stats - Tactix: Martina Salmon 27/29, Te Paea Selby-Rickit 7/13, Ellie Bird 22/24
ANZ Fans' Player of the Match: Carys Stythe (Steel)
