Netball: Steel face challenge to enter semis

The Southern Steel know they cannot count on being given any second chances in the ANZ Championship.

Therefore, to secure their place in the semifinals of the transtasman league, the Southerners must do what no other New Zealand team has been able to do in nearly two years of the competition: win in Australia.

The Steel take on the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane tonight in what is a do-or-die clash for both sides.

Although two rounds remain in the competition following the completion of round 12, tonight's match will go a long way in deciding the semifinalists.

Win, and the Steel cement their place in the top four with a four-point buffer over the fifth-placed Firebirds.

Lose, and the Queensland side will leap-frog the Steel into fourth place on the ladder - a position the Steel would find tough to reclaim over the final two rounds of the competition.

Steel coach Robyn Broughton said winning was the only option for her side. "We are the second best New Zealand team - we've proved that. So we need to go across there thinking 'let's get two New Zealand teams in this top four'," Broughton told NZPA.

Round 12 proved the stumbling block for the Steel in their run into the play-offs last season. The Steel won five of their last six matches to emerge as unlikely finals contenders. But it was their one loss to the Northern Mystics in round 12 that ultimately cost them a place in the play-offs.

This time, taking on the Firebirds at home is a much stiffer challenge.

The late withdrawal of 1.94m shooter Daneka Wipiiti from the Steel squad has compounded the task.

Wipiiti, who is expecting her first child, has been replaced in the line-up by former Australian shooter Megan Dehn. Dehn played for the Steel last season but has yet to play alongside Donna Wilkins.

Also tonight, the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic take on the Canterbury Tactix in their last home game.