In stark contrast to last season, Northern Stars head into Wednesday's ANZ Premiership elimination final against the Northern Mystics with all the momentum.
The Aucklanders clinched home advantage for the do-or-die clash against their crosstown rivals, after defeating Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic and Southern Steel during an incredible run of eight wins from their last nine games since the start of May.
Stars coach Kiri Wills is delighted with her team's resolve and the lessons learned from last season's disappointment, where they missed the playoffs.
"I said to the girls before the competition that we can’t sweat the small stuff and be complaining about the little things, because massive shifts are going to happen and if we do make a big deal of these, then we're not going to survive." Wills said.
"I've been really impressed - they've taken everything in their stride. I think this season has been great for the sport in terms of growth, and everyone talks of planning, preparation and routine, so they’ve had to show flexibility in that and still perform."
The Stars' 2022 season has been almost a complete reverse of last year, when they won nine of their first 10 to lead the competition, but lost four consecutive and missed the playoffs.
Their current campaign was marred early by COVID-19 postponements, before a string of catch-up games enabled them to make up ground on their rivals.
Willis highlights her players' resilience during a tricky doubleheader with the Magic and Pulse in mid-May as a pivotal point in their season.
"I went into that team talk and said to the attacking end, 'It's time you showed how good you are, and you step up and hold this team together, because we've basically got ring-ins coming in who have never trained with us before and that can be unsettling'," she explained. "'As long as we score off our own opportunities, we’re going to be OK'."
"They just stepped up for those games and haven't looked back since then. It needed to happen when it did and I think that's the great thing with our preparation for the elimination final - we've had so many games that were must-wins.
"We've been under the pump for the back end of the season, which I think will hold us in good stead for Wednesday night."
Like the Stars of last season, the Mystics have endured a terrible run of injuries and results leading into the playoffs, with the loss of star shooter Grace Nweke a particularly huge blow that they've struggled to overcome in their collapse from top spot to third.
But Willis knows just how big a threat the Mystics pose and hopes to face a full-strength squad in front of their home fans.
"You don’t want to see a team that’s been so dominant throughout the season not be able to follow through, because of things that were out of their control," she said. "What's happened up until now is out the window and it’s anybody's game.
"We’ve had a better run, which should give us confidence. We’re firing on all cylinders, whereas they’re trying to find their feet.
"We're in a really good position and need to take advantage of that. Ourselves and the Mystics have had to do things differently to everyone else in the competition, and yet we're still here and a lot of our fans have had really tough COVID times.
"It's really nice to bring the community together and have something positive to celebrate out south. It's been tough, but we're tough and we want that tough crowd behind us too."
