Three in a row: 'Getting back to the old days'
On Saturday, the Steel won its third straight game in the ANZ Premiership with a 64-55 victory over the Magic in Invercargill.
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Coach Wendy Frew and assistant Liana Leota didn’t hide their motivation behind the decision to join the Southern Steel in 2025.
The former Steel players want southern netball back to its glory days, where the team is again the talk of the town in the deep south.
Their former coach, Robyn Broughton, has been in their thoughts during that quest.
Eight games in and Frew and Leota have already taken a decent leap towards their goal following three straight wins in the ANZ Premiership.
The latest was a 64-55 victory over the Magic in Invercargill on Saturday, which lifted the Steel into that all-important third spot on the competition ladder.
It is a satisfying place to be in, considering the Steel had won just one of its previous 30 games in the ANZ Premiership before the start of its 2025 campaign.
The Steel have attracted big home crowds in 2025, and coach Frew can feel that wave of support throughout the community.
“I feel like we are getting back to the old days when you don’t go to the supermarket because you get stopped so much,” Frew joked.
“But it is a real honour and the new girls that have come down are really enjoying it as well.”
Although Frew pointed out that the Steel fans’ commitment to the team could never be questioned.
“We are so lucky, they have been turning up for the last couple of years when the Steel have been doing it tough, so I think that shows real loyal fans when you are turning up when the wins aren’t on the board.”
Southern Steel co-captain Kate Heffernan said there was a lot of belief within the team at the moment.
Like the team’s coaches, Heffernan said the motivation for the players is also to point the Steel organisation back in the right direction following a tough period.
“A lot of us who have been here the last couple of years, it’s been hard. We just have this real hunger to turn it around and be part of the team that turns it around.
“And the girls that have come down, straight away they’ve been, like, ‘let’s turn this around, let’s get the Steel back to the way it is known for’.”
The Steel’s next assignment will be a trip to take on the Mystics at 4pm next Sunday, before rounding out the regular season against the Stars in Invercargill on Monday, July 14.