Netball: Steel set to thrive under knockout heat

The pressure of finals netball can do funny things to teams - just ask the NSW Swifts - but the two sides squaring off in tonight's transtasman league minor semifinal are both confident they have the all-important top two inches in check.

The Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic will host the Southern Steel in Auckland tonight, in what is expected to be a huge battle of wills between the two New Zealand sides.

The winner will advance through to the preliminary final, where they will face the Swifts, after the minor premiers suffered a shock loss to the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Sydney last night.

It was the Swifts' first loss of the season. While they will get another bite at the cherry, there will be no second chances for the loser of tonight's match.

But it is under this type of heat that the Steel have thrived this season.

After a slow start to their campaign, the Steel have been faced with a do-or-die situation for much fo the season. The Firebirds' shock loss to the Fever gave the Steel a brief reprieve last week, with the southern side having the advantage of knowing they would be in the play-offs no matter what the result of their final round clash against the Swifts.

It was just as well - the Steel copped a 17-goal battering against the home side in Sydney. But the southern side are taking some solace from the fact that when their backs have been against the wall and they needed to win, they have.

While the Magic's position in the top four only became tenuous in the final couple of rounds, they will take great heart from the way they responded to the huge pressure they were facing in the lead-up to their final round match-up against the Thunderbirds.

The Magic produced one of their most complete performances of the year in Rotorua last week, over-whelming the Thunderbirds with a passionate display.

Magic coach Noeline Taurua said that win helped cement a harder mindset in her side.

"That gave us a huge kick. It's shown what happens when we have faith in each other and really demonstrate that on court," she said.

Steel shooter Daneka Wipiiti said although her side are the underdogs, the Steel will be approaching the clash with their usual quiet confidence.

Wipiiti, who will be playing in her first finals series after cutting her campaign with the Steel short last season because she was pregnant, said the team have tried to maintain a deliberately low-key build-up.

"We've just gone about our business as usual. We don't want to put too much emphasis on the fact that it's a semifinal, because then nerves and other things start to set in."

The Steel's bid to keep things subdued have been aided by a distinct lack of hype surrounding the finals.

Ticket sales for tonight's match have been sluggish - although that is more a reflection on the fact the match is being played in Auckland after the Magic found both their usual stadiums were already booked out.

Late yesterday there were still around 1,500 tickets left to be sold.