The Southern Steel's Invercargill fortress once again proved to be just that when they beat competition leaders the Central Pulse 62-52.
Monday night’s win extended their unbeaten record at ILT Stadium Southland to 15 wins since 2017 - and that's why the Pulse are desperate not to concede home advantage for a potential grand final rematch.
While they may still be strong favourites to clinch the regular season and with it home advantage, a scheduling mishap for the second-straight year could potentially force them to surrender a home grand final.
"Unfortunately, we don't have a venue available," Netball Central CEO Fran Scholey told 1 NEWS.
"We've known this for a very long time, and that's because the ANZ Premiership has come forward a month so that we can have the world cup."
Wind the clock back a year and the franchise was in a similar position as they were forced to take the grand final to Palmerston North.
But this time around, all four suitable venues in the central region are off the cards.
"Unfortunately, Queen's Birthday weekend - they're just not available," Scholey said.
1 NEWS understands the preferred option for a Pulse home final will be shifting it to the Monday night at the Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua. But that decision ultimately rests with Netball New Zealand.
A change of date is something the governing body is willing to consider but no confirmation will be made until the playoff picture becomes clear.
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