KEY POINTS:
It's a small ask of 10 players, but it could make the world of difference to the Sting.
In tonight's bid to make their tenth straight National Bank Cup final, each of the Sting players has been asked to make a special contribution in the last semifinal against
the Magic.
"There are seven people on court, and if everyone gets one intercept each, and if everyone gets rid of one mistake each - a step or a bad pass - that's 14 goals," Sting wing attack and Silver Ferns captain Adine Wilson explains.
"It's not a big ask of each player, but it equates to a big difference. If we're going to beat the Magic, we have to play really smart and we have to stick to our game plan."
It's only a matter of weeks since the Sting did exactly that and thrashed the Magic by 21 goals midway through round play. But the Magic, gunning for their third consecutive title, have grown in strength and self-belief since, and could be the final roadblock for the most successful team in the competition's history.
Wilson has no interest in statistics and scenarios: "It's a pressure cooker, no matter who's won what before, and it's what you thrive on as a netballer. Whether we make our tenth final or not, we all want to win this game."
But she admits that annihilation of the Magic in April was "one of the most amazing games I've ever played in".
No matter the outcome tonight, it will be the Sting's last appearance before their notorious home crowd at Stadium Southland.
The streets of Invercargill are lined with Sting banners, and the sell-out crowd is expected to be more raucous than ever, but the players haven't considered the emotional impetus of tonight's game.
"It's funny, but as a team we haven't talked about that yet. We're thinking of going on court at 7.30 and starting with a real buzz about us. At 9.30, we'll start thinking about it," Wilson says.
"I guess the crowd has been a big part of why I've absolutely loved playing for the Sting for the last seven years.
"I consider myself so lucky to have played my netball here. I wouldn't do the 2 1/2 hour drive from Dunedin twice a week if I didn't have fun."
Wilson has been nursing her left shoulder this week - twisted during the last round-robin match with the Flames, and then aggravated in a couple of spills in last week's first semifinal loss to the Force. But she will still play tonight with heavy bandaging.
The motivation for the Magic, who arrived in Invercargill yesterday, is not to be sent home as distraught as the last time.
"That trip home last time was long, heavy on the heart and we hated it," Magic coach Noeline Taurua said. "We have gone up 150 per cent since then but the feeling we had from that match remains - it sucked. The motivating factor for us is to atone for that and not repeat the feeling."