Steeling for epic elimination final
June 19,2026
Finals netball just hits different.
It’s a unique vibe Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel head coach Wendy Frew remembers fondly having led the franchise to both of its previous ANZ Premiership titles.
Her role has now switched from captain to coach but the leadership she injects remains just as crucial as the Steel prepares to take on the VIP Frames and Trusses Tactix in Sunday’s must-win Elimination Final.
“The girls have asked me a few questions about it recently which is really cool because, to be honest, I’m pretty humble about it so don’t bring it up too much. When I’ve been asked, it’s been great to tell them about the journey and share those key moments from the game and about our culture which, for me, was the reason we got it over the line,” Frew said.
“I can share the journey so these girls believe that we can go all the way. 2018 is definitely among the best memories of my netball career. It was just a remarkable year. To finish my playing career on a win like that in the final, I still smile about it now all these years later. I’ve watched it about 20 billion times and I could tell you play by play the last three and a half minutes exactly.”
The Steel locking in its first finals appearance since 2021 reflects the values and comradery woven into the team environment.
“Culture is everything in the team. As a player I had the most remarkable leaders around me and I always want to rise to their standards. Coming to the coaching role, you have to think about so many more things and for me, I wanted to focus on culture,” Frew explained.
“I know when we take that court these girls will do anything for each other and to win that game.”
Spurring the team on as it seeks to progress to next weekend’s grand final against the Mystics in Auckland will be a packed house of Steel fanatics at ILT Stadium Southland.
“There’s so much hard work that goes on behind closed doors that nobody knows about, except probably your immediate family. For us to achieve this for our province, it’s a very proud moment,” Frew said.
“Our fans are so loyal to us and we wanted to reward them too. They are here no matter what, even when the Steel has gone through some tough times.
“There’s a real vibe around Southland at the moment. It’s a real honour and privilege to create that and we just want to do the fans proud and make sure they get a good spectacle and know at the end of the game that every single player and management from the Steel has put everything out there and there’s no ‘what ifs’.
The rematch against the Tactix would be a formidable assignment.
“There’s a lot more on the line. It’s really important we don’t just come with the same game plan. On attack and defensively we need to bring some different factors to this game,” she said.
“It’s going to be a slog – the Tactix are a great side. For us, we need to think outside the square a bit and make sure we aren’t predictable in what we do.
“We’re going to have to go up another notch. We know they’re going to come out stronger, they’re going to come out more physical and they’re going to come out even more determined for the win.
“A lot about the prep this week will be focusing on ourselves and just those little one percenters that will make a big difference. We are going to have to raise the bar – we all know that.”
“It’s going to come down to pressure moments. A lot of these players haven’t experienced finals pressure before so it’s going to come down to those little one percenters, chasing those loose balls, going in for rebounds, that one v one defence. I can’t wait.”
Midcourt dynamo Serina Duanakamakama was still at school when the southerners last featured in the playoffs.
“It’s kind of crazy. Looking back now, I was just a baby dreaming about an opportunity like this,” she said.
“I’m super, super proud. The amount of work we’ve put in this season, to see it all coming together is really nice to see.
“It’s a good reflection of our values head, heart and humble with the resilience and the attitude we have.
“We don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves and we don’t want to inflate the idea of the elimination final, but we do want to take it as a do-or-die match and respect that this kind of game demands more of ourselves and it will be a step up.
“We’re very similar in terms of style. The Tactix are a quality side, very experienced, clinical and smart with ball in hand, so it will be a hard match. The prep beforehand is important to make sure we are physically and mentally ready for the demanding work that we have ahead of us.”
Vice-captain Georgia Heffernan was eagerly anticipating her first finals experience.
“I’m so proud of this team. The growth we’ve had this season and also building on from last year, it’s really exciting. We’ve worked really hard and we deserve to be where we are,” she said.
“We have so much to play for and doing it in front of our crowd, it would be so cool to do it for this community. They turn up week in, week out – even over the years when we weren’t winning. We’re doing it for each other and we’re doing it for the southern region.”
She was under no illusions as to the enormity of the task.
“To defeat the Tactix this weekend we are going to have to put out a complete performance, really finetune those lulls we had in round 10 and the wee disconnects and errors. We’re going to look at what we can do differently – there’s a lot we can continue doing but we’ve got more up our sleeve that we will bring in the elimination final,” she said.
“It will be the team that preps the best this week that will take it out. In round 10 it was goal for goal and it came down to which team was the first to crack. In high pressure finals netball it’s a bit different. It comes down to who can handle that pressure, who can build that performance for the whole 60 minutes, connect and really thrive under the finals situation.
“We’ve worked so hard for this and we know we’re good enough to be there in the grand final and win this competition. It would mean so much to actually put those performances out there and show what we are capable of.”
