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'I had to play all my cards' – Stars coach says Steel defeat inspired upset semi-final win

May 30, 2019

Kiri Wills’ squad lost by 17 goals to the Steel last week but stunned them 56-53 in last night’s rematch.

The Northern Stars didn't have any secret weapons or strategies in last night's upset win over the Southern Steel in Invercargill - in fact, it was the complete opposite.

Coach Kiri Wills told 1 NEWS her side didn't hold back in last week's 63-46 loss at Stadium Southland and was instead used to ask some questions of the team.

"Last week was all about trying some combinations, trying some different gameplans and testing to see which ones worked.

"That was a real luxury."

Wills said the loss made approaching this week a lot easier.

"Because we weren't playing very well I had to play all my cards and see which ones were going to play the best. That made it quite easy to choose the lineups for yesterday and the strategic changes that we made."

It led to the Stars upsetting the two-time defending champions 56-53 and booking a spot in Monday's final against the Pulse.

Wills told 1 NEWS the team is back in Auckland today for two training sessions before they head to Wellington on Sunday for the final.

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