Steel 'stoked' with miracle win over Pulse
Steel shooter Aliyah Dunn (left) and Pulse defender Kelly Jackson contest possession in the ANZ Premiership game in Wellington. PHOTO: MICHAEL BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY
There are no genuine miracles in sport but the Southern Steel delivered the closest thing to one tonight.
They roared back from a nine-goal deficit heading into the final quarter to stun the Central Pulse 58-57 in a wild finish to the ANZ Premiership game in Wellington.
Steel goal attack Georgia Heffernan, in perhaps the defining performance of her career, landed a late two-point shot, and after the Pulse missed an attempt, it was 57-57 with 37sec to play.
The Steel stayed patient, worked the opportunity and celebrated wildly when Aliyah Dunn converted the winning goal right on the buzzer.
Steel coach Wendy Frew described this as a season-defining game, and it may prove to be just that.
The Steel remain in the hunt for a playoff place. Perhaps just as importantly, they have proved they have reservoirs of courage and heart, especially considering they were pumped 70-45 the last time they played the Pulse.
''We never lost belief,'' Heffernan told Sky Sport after the game.
''We really thought we could win this game, and we came together as a team, so we're stoked.''
The Steel have two more home games, against the Magic and Stars, either side of a tricky away game against the Mystics.
The Pulse made the early running as they capitalised on some sloppy Steel centre passes to leap to a 7-2 lead.
But the rest of the first quarter was much more even and both teams delivered some slick play through the court.
While the Pulse focused on ambitious long feeds — most of which came off — to Amelia Walmsley, the Steel were at their best when they kept things close and crisp.
The combination between the Heffernan sisters, Kate making just her second start of the season at centre and Georgia in sublime form at goal attack, was particularly impressive.
A couple of soft Steel turnovers threatened to let the Pulse get away again.
But a huge held ball forced by Carys Stythe on Walmsley then a shut-down of a Maddy Gordon centre pass helped the Steel limit the Pulse's advantage to 16-14 at the first break.
The Steel quickly nabbed their first lead of the night before an unfortunate lapse let the Pulse nudge ahead by four.
Jaws dropped around the TSB Arena when Walmsley, who had earlier taken her accuracy streak to 100 consecutive goal attempts without missing, finally missed a shot.
The Steel called for a time out later in the second quarter and injected both Abby Lawson and Kate Lloyd into the circle defence.
Lawson had an immediate impact, and the southerners forced a couple of big turnovers, but every time the Steel looked like charging back, the Pulse stepped up, and the home side led 34-30 at halftime.
When the Pulse slipped ahead 38-31 early in the third quarter, there was a sense the game was getting away from the Steel.
But again they responded.
Lawson kept battling furiously and Georgia Heffernan kept finding herself space to influence the action at the attack end.
What followed, though, was probably the most significant passage of the game.
With goal defence Parris Mason firing in some dazzling long balls to Walmsley, and the Steel committing a couple of bad turnovers, the Pulse went on a five-goal run.
Tiana Metuarau then dropped in a two-point bomb as the Pulse took a commanding 50-41 lead into the final quarter.
That was a formidable task for the Steel to overcome, and while they banged in the first three goals of the quarter, they appeared to suffer a fatal blow when wing defence Renee Savai'inaea was sent to the bin for two minutes for clattering Whitney Souness to the floor.
Oddly, that led to the Pulse falling apart — they seemed to panic, and lose their structure — and the Steel deciding they would refuse to be beaten.
The scores
Southern Steel 58
Aliyah Dunn 34 (34/35), Georgia Heffernan 24 (24/26)
Central Pulse 57
Amelia Walmsley 49 (49/53), Tiana Metuarau 8 (7/9)
Quarter scores: Pulse 16-14, 34-30, 50-41.
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Otago Daily Times
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Steel 'stoked' with miracle win over Pulse
Steel shooter Aliyah Dunn (left) and Pulse defender Kelly Jackson contest possession in the ANZ Premiership game in Wellington. PHOTO: MICHAEL BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY There are no genuine miracles in sport but the Southern Steel delivered the closest thing to one tonight. They roared back from a nine-goal deficit heading into the final quarter to stun the Central Pulse 58-57 in a wild finish to the ANZ Premiership game in Wellington. Steel goal attack Georgia Heffernan, in perhaps the defining performance of her career, landed a late two-point shot, and after the Pulse missed an attempt, it was 57-57 with 37sec to play. The Steel stayed patient, worked the opportunity and celebrated wildly when Aliyah Dunn converted the winning goal right on the buzzer. Steel coach Wendy Frew described this as a season-defining game, and it may prove to be just that. The Steel remain in the hunt for a playoff place. Perhaps just as importantly, they have proved they have reservoirs of courage and heart, especially considering they were pumped 70-45 the last time they played the Pulse. ''We never lost belief,'' Heffernan told Sky Sport after the game. ''We really thought we could win this game, and we came together as a team, so we're stoked.'' The Steel have two more home games, against the Magic and Stars, either side of a tricky away game against the Mystics. The Pulse made the early running as they capitalised on some sloppy Steel centre passes to leap to a 7-2 lead. But the rest of the first quarter was much more even and both teams delivered some slick play through the court. While the Pulse focused on ambitious long feeds — most of which came off — to Amelia Walmsley, the Steel were at their best when they kept things close and crisp. The combination between the Heffernan sisters, Kate making just her second start of the season at centre and Georgia in sublime form at goal attack, was particularly impressive. A couple of soft Steel turnovers threatened to let the Pulse get away again. But a huge held ball forced by Carys Stythe on Walmsley then a shut-down of a Maddy Gordon centre pass helped the Steel limit the Pulse's advantage to 16-14 at the first break. The Steel quickly nabbed their first lead of the night before an unfortunate lapse let the Pulse nudge ahead by four. Jaws dropped around the TSB Arena when Walmsley, who had earlier taken her accuracy streak to 100 consecutive goal attempts without missing, finally missed a shot. The Steel called for a time out later in the second quarter and injected both Abby Lawson and Kate Lloyd into the circle defence. Lawson had an immediate impact, and the southerners forced a couple of big turnovers, but every time the Steel looked like charging back, the Pulse stepped up, and the home side led 34-30 at halftime. When the Pulse slipped ahead 38-31 early in the third quarter, there was a sense the game was getting away from the Steel. But again they responded. Lawson kept battling furiously and Georgia Heffernan kept finding herself space to influence the action at the attack end. What followed, though, was probably the most significant passage of the game. With goal defence Parris Mason firing in some dazzling long balls to Walmsley, and the Steel committing a couple of bad turnovers, the Pulse went on a five-goal run. Tiana Metuarau then dropped in a two-point bomb as the Pulse took a commanding 50-41 lead into the final quarter. That was a formidable task for the Steel to overcome, and while they banged in the first three goals of the quarter, they appeared to suffer a fatal blow when wing defence Renee Savai'inaea was sent to the bin for two minutes for clattering Whitney Souness to the floor. Oddly, that led to the Pulse falling apart — they seemed to panic, and lose their structure — and the Steel deciding they would refuse to be beaten. The scores Southern Steel 58 Aliyah Dunn 34 (34/35), Georgia Heffernan 24 (24/26) Central Pulse 57 Amelia Walmsley 49 (49/53), Tiana Metuarau 8 (7/9) Quarter scores: Pulse 16-14, 34-30, 50-41.
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The transformation project within the NZ Police was previously described by international consultants as one of the most successful government sector transformations in history, resulting in heightened staff engagement, greater public trust, and a reported reduction in crime by over 20%. International interest Steel says discussions are ongoing with police chiefs and defence experts in North America who have indicated a need to address significant challenges in staff engagement and retention. The Vantaset system, which took seven years and USD $7 million to develop, is now under consideration for pilot trials in these regions. "They told us this was the most promising process they've seen to address what they describe as a leadership and engagement crisis affecting critical agencies globally, so piloting the process is the logical next step in demonstrating its effectiveness in this environment." According to Bernard Rix, Chairman of World Policing, Vantaset's proven track record in New Zealand was a key factor in establishing the partnership. "Given the demonstrable impact Vantaset's technology had on New Zealand Police, we're confident it can be implemented in other law enforcement agencies around the world to help them improve the performance of their respective forces, which is why we've partnered with them." Origins in sport Steel's original research focused on 'athlete capitulation' — the psychological moment an athlete fails under pressure. By analysing and reverse-engineering this breakdown, he created a framework responsible for more than 20 World Cup and equivalent titles for New Zealand athletes and allowed personal bests to be delivered on demand in high-pressure environments. Quantitatively, the framework enabled New Zealand athletes to achieve personal bests 87% of the time at Tier 1 events, compared to the international average of 8-10%. Steel commented on the wider impact of the approach: "What began as a system for world-class athletes is now changing the way organisations develop and engage their workforce," says Steel. "We're focused on helping organisations, including the Police, improve the impact and effectiveness of their staff as their personal performance is vital to the nations they represent." Adapting for organisations Team members, such as Olympians Moss Burmester and advisor Anthony Moss, are now supporting the transition of high-performance sporting principles into broader workplace environments, including government agencies and corporate boardrooms. Steel adds that organisations' typical risk-averse cultures can restrict innovation: "Our work began with high-performance sport. But when we were invited to trial it in business, the results were just as transformative." He said the platform codifies elite performance in a way that enables consistent support across all organisational levels. "It's about unlocking the potential that already exists in their business as opposed to just trying to mitigate its risks, which crushes innovation. "In elite sport, the goal is never to avoid failure, it's to produce something exceptional. But in the business world, most performance management systems are built to manage issues when they occur rather than amplifying the organisation's capacity to perform," he says. Steel describes Vantaset's digital platform as a tool for large-scale adoption of high-performance principles. "What we've done is build a high-performance operating system that organisations can scale across their entire workforce so they can embed a proven way of working that brings out the best in everyone. The focus isn't on minimising mistakes, it's on helping people be the most effective versions of themselves, as that's what drives growth and improvement." Over 30,000 employees have used Steel's framework so far. The company is now targeting an expansion into other Five Eyes nations, including the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Strategic distribution To facilitate international growth, Vantaset is engaging with consulting partners capable of distributing the system into both public and private sectors. Steel said Five Eyes countries were prioritised due to national security and trust considerations. "We've chosen to focus on the Five Eyes nations because we recognise that when it comes to working with defence forces and critical government agencies, trust and national security considerations are paramount. "If we were to work with non-aligned or competing jurisdictions, it could close doors to the agencies in the nations we're best positioned to support. This strategic alignment should ensure our eligibility to work with the most sensitive public sector environments, where human performance is most vital." The Vantaset platform is now being positioned for broader global uptake with ongoing dialogue involving international consulting firms and law enforcement agencies.
