AFTER suffering a disappointing loss in Round 2, the Southern Steel were back on the winners list after a nine-goal victory over Northern Stars last night. The ANZ Premiership clash was billed as one to watch, with the Stars grabbing the points in their only game of the season thus far in Round 2, whilst the Steel were delicately poised at 1-1. By the final whistle, the Stars had won the first three quarters and built a nine-goal lead which they held in the final term to salute, 71-62.

The return of wing defence Renee Savai’inaea certainly played its part in the Steel getting up, allowing captain Shannon Saunders to start back at wing attack. The impact was almost instantaneous, as the Steel raced out to a two-goal quarter time lead. Saunders had seven goal assists from 14 feeds, as George Fisher was back in the starting seven, and piled on 14 goals at 100 per cent accuracy in the first term. By comparison, Maia Wilson shot 10 of 12, whilst Greer Sinclair and Gina Crampton had busy starts to try and get the Stars going.

Only one change was made off the bench in the first half, with Saviour Tui (four goals from six attempts) replaced by Georgia Heffernan (one from one) midway through the term. Saunders and Kate Heffernan were firing on all cylinders wiht 14 goal assists between them, and Heffernan even picked up an intercept. Kate Burley (two intercepts and one rebound) was making life difficult for Jamie Hume (nine goals from 12 attempts). Crampton (seven goal assists, one intercept) and Elle Temu (two intercepts) were trying hard for the losing side.

Both sides rotated their players throughout the third term with a total of six changes – three each – at either end of the court. The Stars could not seemingly make up the six-goal half-time difference on the Steel, and the pairing of Fisher and Tui – who had returned for the start of the third term – were working well together and got out to a double-digit lead at one stage. Hume was replaced by Amorangi Malesala, and Sinclair was moved into goal defence – showcasing her versatility – but it could not change the momentum of the game.

Fisher had her first miss of the game in the quarter, but still put up 12 goals from 13 attempts, whilst Saunders amassed a whopping 10 goal assists to be dominant in there, whilst Savai’inea and Burley combined for three intercepts in the defensive third. All areas of the Steel lineup were clicking, with Crampton (seven goal assists) and Wilson (11 goals at 100 per cent efficiency) the two standouts on the losing side.

Savai’inaea, Tui and Fisher all earned rests through the final term for the Steel, as the Stars brought back Hume and Holly Fowler to start the fourth term. Though the lead did get out to 12 goals at one stage, the Stars scored six of the next seven goals in the last five minutes to cut it back to seven, before it ended up at nine, 71-62. Saunders recorded another double-digit amount of goal assists, with Fisher firing a perfect 10 goals before coming off. Crampton had a match-high 13 goal assists from 15 feeds in her best quarter, whilst Wilson finished off her day with 15 goals from 16 attempts.

Saunders won Most Valuable Player (MVP) with 34 goal assists from 57 feeds, match by her opposing wing attack Crampton (34 feeds from 48 feeds and one intercept). Fisher scored 51 goals from 52 attempts, with Tui (11 from 14) and Georgia Heffernan (nine from 10), whilst sister Kate had 17 goal assists. In defence, Burley and Savai’inea combined for seven intercepts. For the Stars, Wilson put up 45 goals from 49 attempts, whilst Temu managed the three intercepts, and Hume tried hard with 17 goals from 22 attempts, eight goal assists and one intercept.

Northern Stars will host Mainland Tactix next Saturday, April 2, the same day as the Steel travel to The Trusts Arena to lock horn with the Northern Mystics.