Dana Johannsen: Panic fatal at game's end

Sitting second from the bottom of the ANZ Championship standings is a frustrating position for any team to be in. But for the Canterbury Tactix it must be agonising, knowing they could just as easily be sitting pretty in the top four.

Saturday's heartbreaking one-goal loss to the Southern Steel was the third time in as many games the Tactix had blown a winning chance at the death.

Prior to their bye last weekend, the Tactix blew a four-goal lead midway through the final quarter, to lose 50-48 to the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic. The week before that they let a handy lead slip against the Adelaide Thunderbirds. There is a common factor in each of these losses: panic.

As a game enters the final five minutes you can almost see a switch flick in the minds of the Tactix attacking players. They become tentative, passes are pushed, risky options are taken and the shooters freeze.

The Tactix results over the last few weeks is an extreme example of a problem that seems to be becoming almost endemic to NZ netballers.

The transtasman competition has unearthed not only the vast gulf in depth between the two countries, but also a lack of mental fortitude. Surely it is better to try and fail than not to have tried at all.

Players should back themselves and have the confidence to let the ball go - and for goodness' sake put up the shots. The Australian mental toughness is something the Kiwi athletes must learn to make any series impact.