Netball: Playoff battle to be decided by clashes of Steel

Daneka Wipiiti. Photo / Getty Images

The identity of the New Zealand teams to make the finals of the ANZ Championship will be revealed in the Invercargill forge of the Southern Steel.

With a perfect 10 wins from 10 games, the Firebirds' finals spot is assured, leaving the Mystics, Magic, Vixens and Swifts disputing the three remaining spots.

The other two Australian contenders meet on the last day of the season, while the Steel - the biggest disappointments of the season - will hold the key to the playoff fortunes of their New Zealand counterparts.

The Invercargill-based side will face the Magic and the Mystics as well as the Swifts over their last three games of the season.

All three matches are in the deep South, where the Steel, despite their less than impressive form this year, remain formidable opponents.

The Robyn Broughton-coached team are still unbeaten at home this year, the only New Zealand franchise able to make that claim.

After finishing fourth in each of the last two seasons, the Steel's 2011 campaign has spluttered.

They have been hamstrung by injuries and they have struggled to fill the vacancy left by Megan Dehn at goal attack.

Paula Griffin has struggled to strike up an understanding with Daneka Wipiiti and she is also less willing to shoot from distance than someone such as Maria Tutaia.

Recently Broughton experimented with Wipiiti in the goal attack bib, shifting Griffin near the post, and this move paid dividends last week against the Tactix.

Their four wins have come against the Pulse (twice), Thunderbirds and Tactix, though they have looked more convincing in recent weeks.

The Magic face the Steel in Invercargill today, followed by the Thunderbirds in Adelaide and a home game against the Pulse.

The Thunderbirds have showed signs of a resurgence in recent weeks and will be tough, but the clash with the Steel looms as equally dangerous for Noeline Taurua's team. They have lost two of their three away encounters with the Steel.

Fans will be wary of another late slump by the Waikato-Bay of Plenty side but will also take heart from the fact they have seen their team bounce back from extended lapses before.

The young guns around the national trio of Casey Williams, Laura Langman and Irene van Dyk will need to perform as the pressure builds to another level.

The Mystics take on the Swifts in Sydney tomorrow, before hosting the Tactix and then facing the Steel in Invercargill in the final round of the regular season.

The northern side gained some breathing space with the historic victory in Perth last week but will be outsiders to repeat the dose in New South Wales tomorrow.

They should take care of the Tactix but their record against the Steel must give Temepara George and her team-mates cause for concern. The Mystics have lost three of their last four games against the Steel.

In second spot going into this round was uncharted territory for the Mystics - but this is definitely a team on the rise. Coach Debbie Fuller promised at the start of the season that her team would perform closer to potential in 2011 and that has so far been the case.

Aiding the cause of both the Magic and Mystics is the fact that the Vixens and Swifts will play each other in the final round in Melbourne.

One team will have to lose (discounting an unlikely draw) which may enable two New Zealand sides to squeeze into the top four for the third consecutive year.

REMAINING MATCHES

Mystics (14 points)
vs Swifts (away)
vs Tactix (home)
vs Steel (away)

Magic (14 points)
vs Steel (away)
vs Thunderbirds (away)
vs Pulse (home)

Swifts (14 points)
vs Mystics (home)
vs Steel (away)
vs Vixens (away)

Vixens (12 points)
vs Fever (away)
vs Pulse (home)
vs Swifts (home)