KEY POINTS:
They try not to think about it, but the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic could potentially reduce another fellow Kiwi side's season to dust tonight.
The Magic face a struggling Southern Steel in their round seven ANZ Championship clash in Hamilton. With just two wins from six outings, the
Steel are desperate to avoid going into their bye round on the back of a loss.
Unless the Steel can pull out something special tonight, the Magic will effectively end their rivals' season.
The scenario almost mirrors that of last week when Noeline Taurua's side took on the under-performing Northern Mystics.
That time the Magic showed no mercy, coming away with a 14-goal win after a ruthless performance.
Magic defender Joline Henry said her side paid little attention to their opponents' predicament.
"To be honest our focus has been on ourselves and we don't take much notice of what situation the other team are in," Henry said.
"While we have to keep a good overview of the competition and know what's going on, we don't really think about how the result will affect the other side."
Henry said the Magic were looking to take another step up after their convincing win over the Mystics last week.
The Waikato side had been aiming to win that match by 20 goals-plus and have set themselves another ambitious target for tonight's match.
The Magic are very mindful that with no bonus points in the league, goal-differential is set to be a big factor in determining the make-up of the top four and from there, home advantage.
That's why they're placing added importance on the scoreline.
"To begin with we didn't really give much thought to the scorelines, but as the season goes on we need to start thinking about how much goal difference will play a part," said Henry. "It's not just a matter of whether you win or lose, but by how much."
A win tonight would see the Magic take the outright lead in the competition, although they are yet to have their bye round.
In tonight's late match, the NSW Swifts will be looking to remain in touch of the top four when they take on the West Coast Fever in Sydney.
The battle for the top spots remains tight amongst the Australian franchises after the Melbourne Vixens' 52-46 win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds yesterday.
The win brings the Vixens level with the Queensland Firebirds, who had a bye in round seven, on 10 points, while the Thunderbirds sit on eight points. The Swifts could add further clutter to the top of the table with a win tonight boosting them to eight points.
Also sitting on eight points are the Canterbury Tactix, who escaped with a 55-50 overtime win against the lowly Central Pulse on Saturday.
