Netball: Plenty at stake as transtasman rivalry resumes

After five weeks of comfortable domestic competition in the ANZ Championship, the Southern Steel are about to be reintroduced to the harsh realities of transtasman netball.

The Southern Steel today embark on the longest road trip in the competition - making the 12-hour journey from Invercargill to Perth to take on the West Coast Fever on Monday night.

It will be one of three transtasman match-ups this weekend, the first of which will be today in Adelaide, where the Thunderbirds host the Northern Mystics.

Despite a confidence-boosting win over the Canterbury Tactix last week, the Mystics are unlikely to get one over the powerful Thunderbirds at home.

And so the pressure of trying to be the first Kiwi side to win on Australian soil falls at the feet of the Steel.

But Steel defender Katrina Grant said having to back up after the mammoth journey, which includes three flights, will be a very tough ask.

"None of us have had to travel that far before and then play two days later, so it is going to be a real challenge for us," the Silver Fern rookie said.

"I just hope [the travel] doesn't show in the fourth quarter."

They will receive little sympathy from their Perth-based opponents, though, with the Fever facing a big road trip for every away game.

Of course no New Zealand side can cross the Tasman without being reminded that a Kiwi team is yet to win in Australia.

While the media have become hung up on the embarrassing record, Grant said it is not something that is playing on the team's mind.

She said the idea of restoring some national pride by breaking the duck was not at the top of the Steel's agenda. Of greater motivation for the Southerners was the lure of two points, which would help firm up their place in the top four.

"We just want to go over there and win no matter what the history says," said Grant. "We're concentrating on the top four, we know every game from here on in is crucial so we want to put on a strong show over there."

The other big match-up on Monday night will see the top two teams of the competition finally going head-to-head, with the unbeaten Melbourne Vixens looking to extend their lead at the top of the table with a win over the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic in Tauranga.

The match is a season-defining one for the Magic - win and they maintain their foothold in the top two, lose and their title hopes will suddenly look to be on shaky ground, putting them under big pressure in their remaining games.

The Vixens have been the standout team of the competition but working in the Magic's favour is that the game will be played on their home turf.

The last time the Melbourne side played in New Zealand they were left bewildered by some of the decisions by the local umpires in their one-goal loss to the Steel. But Magic coach Noeline Taurua does not believe the umpiring will be as much of a factor as it was last season.

"I think both countries have really tried to look in to adjusting their game before they go and play in another country.

"So I'm sure that they'll be more prepared this time and will have a better expectation of what calls could be and different interpretations."

A bottom-of-the-table clash between the Canterbury Tactix and the still-winless Central Pulse kicks off the weekend's competition on Saturday.

The Queensland Firebirds meet the NSW Swifts in Brisbane tomorrow in the other match of the round.

The Pulse have reappointed coach Yvette McCausland-Durie for another year and yesterday also confirmed the appointment of new chief executive Bridget Abernethy.

ROUND 10

Today: 2pm Central Pulse v Canterbury Tactix, Porirua; 4pm Adelaide Thunderbirds v Northern Mystics, Adelaide.
Tomorrow: 4.30pm Queensland Firebirds v NSW Swifts, Brisbane.
Monday: 7pm Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic v Melbourne Vixens, Tauranga; 9pm West Coast Fever v Southern Steel, Perth.