Southern Steel end Mainland Tactix title defence to book ANZ Premiership grand final berth
Sunday, 21 June 2026
The Southern Steel are off to the ANZ Premiership grand final for the first time in eight years, and in style.
Willed on by a 4000 sold out Stadium Southland crowd, the Steel ended the Mainland Tactix hopes of defending their title, winning Sunday’s elimination final 60-54.
Wendy Frew’s Steel side will take on the Northern Mystics at Auckland’s Trusts Arena in the grand final on Saturday night. It will be their first trip to the title match since 2018 when they beat the Central Pulse in the decider for their second title.
The Steel won eight of their 10 round games and were too clinical and too tenacious for a Tactix side, who never recovered from a sluggish first half.
Trailing by 10 goals with five minutes left, back-to-back two point bombs from Tactix shooters Amorangi Malesala and Hannah Glen cut it to six goals. But, that was as close as the red-and-blacks would get.
Aliyah Dunn, the most prolific and accurate shooter in the competition, had another tidy outing, converting 37 from 38. Georgia Heffernan was industrious in the Steel shooting end, putting up a high shooting volume with 22 goals from 24 attempts.
Standout goal keep Carys Stythe continued her brilliant campaign, finishing with five rebounds, five intercepts, and seven deflections.
The Tactix will look back and bemoan a season that unravelled late in the campaign, dropping their last four games. For a large chunk of the season they sat top of the table, but lost their final three round games (all by four or fewer goals), and were then outclassed in the elimination final. They were also not helped with experienced wing attack Gina Crampton playing through sickness.
These sides met just seven days ago with the Steel edging the Tactix 56-54 in a thriller to clinch second spot and a precious home elimination final.
The Steel could do little wrong in the first half, heading to halftime with an eight goal cushion (32-24). They missed just one of their 32 attempts in the first half.
Fresh off Silver Ferns Commonwealth Games selection on Wednesday, Stythe’s imprint was all over the first half. Stythe snaffled four intercepts, four deflections, and two rebounds, getting the better of the Tactix shooters.
Tactix coach Donna Wilkins did not mince her words as she called a second quarter timeout as the red-and-blacks fell in a 26-14 hole.
“You’re letting them walk all over you. This is not the team I’ve been coaching for 20 weeks. You guys are so much better than what you’re doing at the moment… Don’t drop your heads. Fight for everything,” Wilkins roared at her players.
The Tactix were stung by 33 first half penalties and just 61% centre pass to goal conversion, which left them in a tough spot at the main break.
Heading into the final quarter, the Tactix had it all in front of them, trailing by an eight goal margin (48-40).
A storming finish to the first quarter, including a two point shot from Heffernan, saw the Steel jump out to a 17-11 advantage.
The Tactix were again without captain Erikana Pedersen, who has not played since round three when she dislocated her shoulder against the Magic. Both teams were missing a pivotal midcourter with Steel Silver Fern Kimiora Poi ruled out for the rest of the premiership season with a calf injury.
Midway through the second quarter, the Steel were rolling, leading by double figures (25-14).
The Tactix played their best netball of the match in the third quarter, but still had a mountain to climb entering the final 15 minutes, down by eight goals.
Even with back-to-back Tactix two point goals to cut the lead to six late in the contest, the Steel never flinched to book their trip to the grand final.