Steel determined to show progression
12 June 2026
Reviewing footage of their last encounter against the Tactix reinforced to Wendy Frew just how far her Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel team has evolved this season.
That opening round loss remains a smudge on an otherwise stellar report card for the Steel – and they’ve had to wait the entire regular season for the chance at redemption.
It finally comes on Sunday at ILT Stadium Southland, which will be packed to the rafters with a sellout crowd.
There’s more than pride at stake with ANZ Premiership Grand Final hosting rights still up for grabs. The GoSweetSpot Mystics will secure top spot and hosting rights for the Grand Final with a win over Magic, while both the Steel and Tactix remain in contention depending on results.
Frew was excited for the South Island derby.
“We can’t wait to take on the Tactix. They have been the in-form team throughout the season and really consistent despite all of the different faces we’ve seen in the line up, so we definitely have a lot of respect for them,” she said.
“We’re excited to take the court again and ensure we put our best foot forward leading into the playoffs.
“I know we’ve grown as a team since that opening game. I think that was our poorest performance of the season – we just didn’t execute things well and we’ve made a lot of positive improvements since then.
“Watching back the footage this week has been quite interesting. To see that performance, we knew we could do a lot better and we’ve had a lot of growth since then.”
Despite losing its last two games, the Tactix could not be underestimated.
“They are actually really strong across the court with their whole seven so we’re going to have to take it up a notch again,” Frew said.
“Defensively they get a lot of gains so as an attacking unit we’re going to have to stay united and ensure we’re driving strong into that ball with our ball placement really on song so the Tactix can’t get touches like they have been. Our shooters are going to have to make sure they do those small things well.”
The chance to reward Sunday’s sellout crowd of Steel faithful with a home playoff match adds to the motivation.
“Obviously, we want to beat the Tactix to get a home playoff match – whether that’s an elimination final or a grand final depending on the result of the Mystics game,” Frew said.
“We might have to play Tactix back-to-back but we haven’t actually thought ahead to game plans for playoffs so there’s no strategy around that coming into the mix this weekend. We’re just focused one game at a time and we’re putting everything into this game.
“Then we can take the time to reassess our performance and identify the areas where we can grow and keep pushing forward.”
