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Scoop
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Steel Vs Stars: Steel End Season On A Positive Note
14 July 2025 Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel wrapped up fourth spot on the points table after posting a closely-fought 61-55 win over Go Media Stars in Invercargill on Monday. Both teams were out to finish the season on a positive note, the Steel looking to get over the disappointment of narrowly missing out on the Finals Series while the Stars have not had luck on their side in an injury-ravaged campaign. Despite nothing riding on the final match of the regular season, with both sides already out of Finals Series contention, there was no lack of desire from either side, the Steel holding the edge in the second half to clinch the spoils on the back of a solid season. Closely contested throughout, the Steel held a two-goal advantage coming into the final quarter during which they took control and shut down any chance of a Stars comeback. Key targets at both ends, Aliyah Dunn for the Steel and the Stars Maia Wilson, did all that was asked of them from the goal shoot positions with Dunn nailing 42 from 43 and Wilson 44/45. In the end, the Steel won the moments that mattered while having slightly the better of the possession stakes. The Stars competed gamely but just lacked the consistency to keep the Steel under the pump. Both sides made solid and effective starts with the Steel managing to nose in front on the back of pacey and accurate attacking play which was expertly finished by shooters Dunn and Georgia Heffernan. The Stars also gained traction from the long game to bring the contest back to level terms. Defensive pressure from Carys Stythe and Abby Lawson created turnover opportunities for the home side in the Stars attacking zone, ultimately iced by a super shot from Georgia Heffernan to push the Steel out to a 14-10 lead at the first break. With defenders Lili Tokaduadua and Remi Kamo getting their hands to intercept opportunities on the resumption, the Stars clicked into gear. Converting their extra ball opportunities, the confidence levels lifted from the visitors. That resulted in finding their flow, speed and accuracy on attack where the movement of captain Wilson opened the space under the hoop with the ball landing perfectly via Mila Reuelu-Buchanan and Lisa Mather. Starting with an 8-4 run against them, the Steel took a tactical time out before the Stars nudged into narrow lead, the last five minutes of the second stanza going goal-for-goal and ending in a 28-all stalemate at the main break. The Steel turned the tables during a high-scoring and entertaining third quarter. The home side needed no second invitation when pouncing on a couple of early lapses in the Stars scoring zone. The response was rapid and highly accurate through-court play where Kate Heffernan and Kimiora Poi worked the ball expertly to set up the shooting duo of Georgia Heffernan and Dunn. The shooters worked seamlessly in tandem, Heffernan sharing the load while Dunn continued her strong season with an impressive showing. The Stars hung on admirably, with midcourter Reuelu-Buchanan and Kate Heffernan having a mighty tussle while Wilson ended the stanza in style when sinking a super shot to narrow the Steel's lead to 45-43 at the last break, leaving the game wide open.
Otago Daily Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Steel get job done, finish 4th
You will take a win even if it's a grind. The Southern Steel have wrapped up their ANZ Premiership season with a 61-55 victory against the Northern Stars in front of a loud Stadium Southland crowd. It might not have been the prettiest win, but the Steel finish fourth on the ladder, their highest finish since 2022, with a record of five wins for the season. Leading 45-43 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Steel let the Stars come back to level the score in the opening minutes. But defender Carys Stythe put that momentum to bed with a big outside arm tip and returned a three-point lead to the Steel. Abby Lawson took her feet through the ball and came up with the intercept of the game. Then the Stars were reduced to six players, after taking too long with an injury replacement, and the Steel pounced to extend to a seven-point lead. Georgia Heffernan was superb for the Steel with her crafty court work and Stythe was massive at the back with five deflections, three gains and two intercepts. Earlier, the Steel sat back in a defensive box, pushing the Stars attackers out wide. But it opened up when Tori Kolose fired a nice ball through the middle to captain Maia Wilson, who held her ground strongly. It helped the visitors claw back to a level score midway through the opener. Remi Kamo and Aliyah Dunn battled under the post for position and Kamo started to cover Dunn's every move. That brought Georgia Heffernan into the game more, cutting around the top and going to the post. Just as the Stars looked to take the lead, Renee Savai'inaea picked the pocket on the circle edge. The Steel chewed up the last 20 seconds on the clock and Heffernan nailed a two-pointer on the buzzer for the Steel to lead 14-10. Kimiora Poi did a power of work in the midcourt for the Steel. She cut hard to the top of the circle and found some nice placements on her feeds. Mila Reuelu-Buchanan was everywhere in the midcourt for the Stars and provided quality ball for her shooters. But Stythe made her job hard. The defender caused all sorts of problems for the Stars attackers and had a physical test with Wilson. Lili Tokaduadua went for a fly and picked up a screaming intercept to level the game 18-18 midway through the second. Wilson's hold opened up the 45 angle for her feeders and the Stars defence tightened up. Still the Steel ground away and found some nice passages to their shooters. But the second quarter belonged to the Stars, winning it 18-14, to level the scores 28-28 at halftime. Savai'inaea, an underrated cog in the Steel midcourt, picked the pocket to open the third, but the Steel squandered the opportunity again. But the Steel started to set better structures on attack, and Dunn held better space in the circle to let the ball go to her. Stythe's defence over Crystal Maro's shot was impeccable, holding her ground as the young goal attack stepped in. Penalties built from frustration crept into the game from both teams as only one point separated them. The Steel went on a run giving them a four-point buffer but yet again the Stars closed the gap ahead of the two-point time. Lawson snaffled a crucial rebound and made quick work of bringing it through court. But Wilson nailed a two-pointer at the end of the third for the Stars to trail 45-43. ANZ Premiership The scores Southern Steel 61 Aliyah Dunn 42 (42/43), Georgia Heffernan 19 (17/26). Northern Stars 55 Maia Wilson 50 (47/49), Crystal Maro 5 (5/9), Marie Hansen 0 (0/2). Quarter scores: Southern Steel 14-10, 28-28, 45-43.
Otago Daily Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Steel finish season on winning note
You will take a win even if it's a grind. The Southern Steel have wrapped up their ANZ Premiership season with a 61-55 victory against the Northern Stars in front of a loud Stadium Southland crowd. It might not have been the prettiest win, but the Steel finish fourth on the ladder – their highest finish since 2022 - with a record of five wins for the season. Leading 45-43 at the start of the fourth, the Steel let the Stars come back to level the score in the opening minutes. But defender Carys Stythe put that momentum to bed with a big outside arm tip and returned a three-point lead to the Steel. Abby Lawson took her feet through the ball and came up with the intercept of the game. Then the Stars were reduced to six players – after taking too long with an injury replacement – and the Steel pounced to extend to a seven-point lead. Georgia Heffernan was superb for the Steel with her crafty court work and Stythe was massive at the back with five deflections, three gains and two intercepts. Earlier, the Steel sat back in a defensive box, pushing the Stars attackers out wide. But it opened up when Tori Kolose fired a nice ball through the middle to captain Maia Wilson, who held her ground strong. It helped the visitors claw back to a level score midway through the opener. Remi Kamo and Aliyah Dunn battled under the post for position and Kamo started to cover Dunn's every move. It brought Georgia Heffernan in to the game more, cutting around the top and going to the post. Just as the Stars looked to take the lead, Renee Savai'inaea picked the pocket on the circle edge. The Steel chewed up the last 20 seconds on the clock and Heffernan nailed a two-pointer on the buzzer for the Steel to lead 14-10. Kimiora Poi did a power of work in the midcourt for the Steel. She cut hard to the top of the circle and found some nice placements on her feeds. Mila Reuelu-Buchanan was everywhere in the midcourt for the Stars and provided quality ball for her shooters. But Stythe made her job hard. The defender caused all sorts of problems for the Stars attackers and had a physical test with Wilson. Lili Tokaduadua went for a fly and picked up a screaming intercept to level the game 18-18 midway through the second. Wilson's hold opened up the 45 angle for her feeders and the Stars defence tightened up. Still the Steel ground away and found some nice passages to their shooters. But the second quarter belonged to the Stars, winning the quarter 18-14, to level the scores 28-28 at halftime. Savai'inaea – an underrated cog in the Steel's midcourt – picked the pocket to open the third, but the Steel squandered the opportunity again. But the Steel started to set better structures on attack, and Dunn held better space in the circle to let the ball go to her. Stythe's defence over Crystal Maro's shot was impeccable, holding her ground as the young goal attack stepped in. Penalties build from frustration crept in to the game from both teams as only one-point separated them. The Steel went on a run giving them a four-point buffer but yet again, the Stars closed the gap ahead of the two-point time. Abby Lawson snaffled a crucial rebound and made quick work of bringing it through court. But Wilson nailed a two-pointer at the end of the third for the Stars to trail 45-43.
Scoop
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Steel Continue Their Winning Climb
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel stretched their winning streak to three when compiling an impressive win over AVIS Magic to open Round 8 in Invercargill on Saturday. With both teams still well in contention for the Finals Series, the Steel continued their momentum to grab third place outright for the time being while denying the Magic the opportunity to grab valuable points. Coming into the match after securing back-to-back wins as opposed to the Magic's back-to-back losses, the Steel picked up from where they left off, exerting their extra overall polish across the opening three quarters to hold the Magic at arms-length for much of the outing. The Magic finished strongly with a last quarter flurry to win the final 15 minutes 18-11 but being outplayed across the first three-quarters, it was a case of too little too late. The Steel enjoyed 10 more attempts at goal with mainstay shooter Aliyah Dunn rock-solid under the hoop when providing a handy day's work and converting 43 from 45. The Steel made the sharpest of starts to build an early lead through their flow and accuracy on attack. That was well supported by shooters Dunn and Georgia Heffernan who converted every opportunity that came their way. The Magic halted a four-goal run from the home side to come back into the game well. Stiffer defensive efforts paid off while the movement and athleticism of shooters Saviour Tui and Ameliaranne Ekenasio kept the contest close. It was shooting accuracy which proved the difference at the first break, the Steel leading 15-13 after nailing all their opportunities and the Magic missing two after both had equal attempts. Each side delivered exciting passages of flowing play at times on the resumption but as the respective defences tightened up, there was more strategy required and playing the ball around before the openings occurred. This opened the door for defensive opportunities to break the goal-for-goal impasse and it was the Steel who pounced with telling effect. The intense pressure employed by Carys Stythe and Abby Lawson under the Magic hoop resulted in turnovers while at the other end Dunn and Georgia Heffernan continued their recent strong form. The pair shared the load expertly and intuitively in feeding off each other with Dunn producing a standout first half through her positioning, pin-point shooting and rebounding ability. The Magic had their moments but were unable to stem a storming finishing from the home side, whose ability to disrupt and grab extra opportunities paid dividends when they completed a strong second spell when heading into the main break with a 33-25 lead. In a similar pattern to the previous quarter, the Steel made impressive impact in the latter stages of the third. With Ali Wilshier and Claire O'Brien delivering perfect ball into Tui, the Magic initially stayed in touch with their southern opponents but their ability to sustain and execute was eventually found wanting. The relentless focus from the Steel's defensive patterns and easier through-court transition meant there was no let-up for the Magic with misguided passes and inaccuracies taking a toll. Lacking the same efficiency and accuracy the visitors were left playing catch-up. Dunn and Georgia Heffernan continued to stamp their mark at the Steel shooting end with Kimiora Poi marshalling the attack end in an impressive overall team effort. Relishing their dominance, the Steel rattled in the goals to keep building on an advancing scoreline when they led 53-38 at the last turn.
RNZ News
28-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
ANZ Premiership Netball: Waikato BoP Magic can't steal a win from rivals Southern Steel
From left: Steel Kimiora Poi, Aliyah Dunn, Georgia Heffernan and Renee Savai'inaea celebrate their win. Photo: Marty Melville A late comeback by the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic was not enough to stop a dominant Southern Steel from securing a 64-56 win in the ANZ Premiership in Invercargill on Saturday. The Steel are on a three-game winning streak and have taken outright third place on the points ladder with two more rounds before the finals. The Magic finished strongly with a last quarter flurry to win the final 15 minutes 18-11 but were outplayed across the first three quarters. Steel shooter Aliyah Dunn was nearly flawless from close to the hoop converting 43 of her 45 goal attempts. It was shooting accuracy which proved the difference at the end of the first quarter, the Steel leading 15-13 after nailing all their opportunities and the Magic missing two after both sides had equal attempts. In the second quarter the intense pressure employed by Carys Stythe and Abby Lawson under the Magic hoop resulted in turnovers while at the other end Dunn and Georgia Heffernan continued their recent strong form. The pair shared the load expertly and intuitively in feeding off each other with Dunn producing a standout first half through her positioning, pin-point shooting and rebounding ability. The home side were ahead 33-25 at halftime. The Magic struggled to keep up after the break with the Steel outscoring them 20-13 in the third period as the visitors' misguided passes and inaccuracies took a toll. The loss was the Magic's third defeat in a row and the second time they have lost to the Steel this season. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
