title: 2018 Southern Steel season
text: # 2018 Southern Steel season
  
  The 2018 Southern Steel season saw the Southern Steel netball team compete in the 2018 ANZ Premiership and the 2018 Netball New Zealand Super Club. With a team coached by Reinga Bloxham, captained by Wendy Frew and featuring Gina Crampton, Shannon Francois, Te Paea Selby-Rickit and Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit, Steel retained the ANZ Premiership title, winning their second consecutive premiership after defeating Central Pulse 54–53 in the grand final. In the Super Club tournament, Steel finished third.
  
  ## Players
  
  ### Player movements
  
  Gains and losses :
  
  | Gains | Losses |
  | - | - |
  | Jess Allan (Netball South) Courtney Elliott (Waikato NNL) Taneisha Fifita (Netball South) Georgia Heffernan (Netball South) Kate Heffernan (Netball South) Malysha Kelly (Adelaide Thunderbirds) Kendall McMinn (Netball South) | Aliyah Dunn (Central Pulse) Jamie Hume (Northern Mystics) Jhaniele Fowler-Reid (West Coast Fever) Malysha Kelly Jane Watson (Mainland Tactix) |
  
  **Notes**
  
  ^1 Malysha Kelly was injured during pre-season.
  
  Sources:
  
  ### 2018 roster
  
  **Notes**
  
  ^2 Georgia Heffernan, Taneisha Fifita, Jess Allan and Kendall McMinn were included in the extended squad for the Super Club.
  
  Sources:
  
  ### Debuts
  
  * Kendall McMinn made her senior debut for Steel in Round 3 against Northern Mystics.
  * Kate Heffernan and Taneisha Fifita made their senior debut for Steel in Round 6 against Mainland Tactix.
  
  ## Pre-season
  
  ### Sunshine Coast Lightning series
  
  In March 2018, Steel played a two match series against the 2017 Suncorp Super Netball premiers, Sunshine Coast Lightning.
  
  ### Pre-Season Tournament
  
  Steel also participated in the official pre-season tournament at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Otaki from 20 to 22 April.
  
  ## ANZ Premiership regular season
  
  ### Fixtures and results
  
  **Round 1**
  
  Steel's unbeaten run in competitive matches continued into the 2018 season. However, after defeating Northern Mystics in their opening match, they were beaten 62–51 by Central Pulse, ending a 22–match win streak. The streak included 17 ANZ Premiership matches and five Super Club matches.
  
  ### Final standings
  
  2018 ANZ Premiership laddervte :
  
  | Pos | Team | P | W | L | GF | GA | GD | G% | BP | Pts |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Central Pulse | 15 | 12 | 3 | 850 | 679 | +171 | 125.2 | 3 | 27 |
  | 2 | Southern Steel | 15 | 10 | 5 | 874 | 866 | +8 | 100.9 | 2 | 22 |
  | 3 | Mainland Tactix | 15 | 7 | 8 | 746 | 761 | −15 | 98 | 5 | 19 |
  | 4 | Northern Mystics | 15 | 7 | 8 | 783 | 796 | −13 | 98.4 | 3 | 17 |
  | 5 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 15 | 5 | 10 | 804 | 878 | −74 | 91.6 | 3 | 13 |
  | 6 | Northern Stars | 15 | 4 | 11 | 832 | 909 | −77 | 91.5 | 5 | 13 |
  
  Qualified for Grand final and the 2018 Netball New Zealand Super Club Qualified for Elimination final and the 2018 Netball New Zealand Super Club
  
  Source:
  
  ## ANZ Premiership Finals Series
  
  ### Elimination final
  
  | Wed 8 Aug 7:45 pm | Report Stats | Southern Steel | 53–49 | Mainland Tactix | ILT Stadium Southland | Sky Sport |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Sky Sport |||
  | Wed 8 Aug 7:45 pm | Report Stats | Jen O'Connell 38/40 (95%) Te Paea Selby-Rickit 15/22 (68%) | | Ellie Bird 42/45 (93%) Kate Beveridge 4/5 (80%) Brooke Leaver 3/3 (100%) | ILT Stadium Southland | Sky Sport |
  
  ### Grand final
  
  | Sun 12 Aug 4:15 pm | Central Pulse | 53–54 | Southern Steel | Fly Palmy Arena | Sky Sport |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Sky Sport |||
  | Sun 12 Aug 4:15 pm | Aliyah Dunn 32/35 (91%) Ameliaranne Ekenasio 17/25 (68%) Tiana Metuarau 4/4 (100%) | | Jen O'Connell 40/44 (91%) Te Paea Selby-Rickit 14/18 (78%) | Fly Palmy Arena | Sky Sport |
  
  Source:
  
  ## Netball New Zealand Super Club
  
  ### Group stage
  
  Sources:
  
  Sources:
  
  Source:
  
  ### Final ladder
  
  Group A :
  
  | Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | % | BP | Pts |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Southern Steel | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 207 | 168 | 123.2 | 1 | 7 |
  | 2 | Mainland Tactix | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 201 | 153 | 131.4 | 0 | 6 |
  | 3 | Gauteng Jaguars | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 173 | 172 | 100.6 | 0 | 6 |
  | 4 | Sneakers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 150 | 238 | 63.0 | 0 | 0 |
  
  Qualified for Semi-finals 5th/8th place classification
  
  Source:
  
  ### 1st/4th Play offs
  
  Sources:
  
  ### Third place play-off
  
  | 24 August 2018 6.40pm | Report Stats | Southern Steel | 54–45 | NSWIS | Sky Sport |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Sky Sport |||
  | 24 August 2018 6.40pm | Report Stats | Jennifer O'Connell 31/34 (91%) Georgia Heffernan 12/21 (57%) Jess Allan 4/5 (80%) Olivia Bates 2/7 (29%) Shannon Francois 1/1 (100%) | | Matisse Letherbarrow 16/22 (73%) Georgia Marshall 14/19 (74%) Kelly Singleton 8/15 (53%) | Sky Sport |
  
  ## Award winners
  
  ### Team of the season
  
  Two Southern Steel players were named in Brendon Egan's Stuff Seven team of the season.
  
  | Position | Player |
  | - | - |
  | GA | Te Paea Selby-Rickit |
  | WA | Gina Crampton |
  
  Sources:
  
  