Ellie Bird of the Tactix passes the ball during the round-six ANZ Premiership match between against the Steel. Photo / Getty Images
Ellie Bird of the Tactix passes the ball during the round-six ANZ Premiership match between against the Steel. Photo / Getty Images
The Mainland Tactix have consolidated their new-found form with a hard-fought 60-50 win over the Southern Steel in Invercargill.
The Tactix started right where they left off after last week's gritty overtime win against the Northern Mystics and turned the tables on their wobbly round-one thrashing at the hands oftheir Southern rivals.
Heavy defensive pressure early on from Silver Fern defenders Jane Watson and Karin Burger made the Steel attack look disconnected - the usually clinical George Fisher and Tiana Metuarau both missed their first attempts and finished the quarter shooting at under 70 per cent.
The Steel were forced to adapt by pushing for longer, cross-court passes which looked spectacular when they came off but clumsy when they didn't.
The experience of Watson shone through in the second quarter. She made life onerous for Fisher inside the circle as the Steel struggled to stem the widening deficit.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Ellie Bird was as reliable as ever, shooting 46 from 48 for the match.
The Tactix finished the second quarter with a 31-23 lead which could have been even larger; the Cantabrians failed to score off seven of their 12 turnovers.
George Fisher of the Steel and Jane Watson of the Tactix contest for the ballin Invercargill. Photo / Getty Images
The intensity went up another notch in the third quarter and the result was messy. Turnovers were frequent with both sides making rushed passes, at times conceding multiple possessions in a single sequence.
However, Metuarau and wing attack Shannon Saunders found their groove and connected to set Fisher up nearer to the post.
The Steel defence on the other hand became overly bullish, with Fisher and the defensive trio of Kate Heffernen, Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit and Taneisha Fifita all dealt cautions.
They tightened the gap to five by the end of the third but the ruthless consistency of Bird kept the pressure firmly on the hosts.
Fisher incurred a warning late in the fourth quarter and was benched by Steel coach Reinga Bloxham to avoid the chance of a suspension.
The Tactix cleaned up the match for a ten-goal win and a third victory on the trot.
The Mainland side leapfrog both the Steel and the Pulse into third on the ladder, whilst the Southerners drop back to fifth.
The Tactix remain five points shy of the league-leading Northern Stars, who suffered their first loss to the Pulse on Sunday.
