Southern Sting - Inaugural Season

Inaugural Season

1998 Season (Sting first)

• Rd1: Sting v Auckland Diamonds (55-51)
• Rd2: Sting v Canterbury Flames (55-53)
• Rd3: Sting v Waikato Wildcats (78-41)
• Rd4: Sting v Otago Rebels (54-61)
• Rd5: Sting v Capital Shakers (50-48)
• Rd6: Sting v Northern Force (56-39)
• Rd7: Sting v CMTV Cometz (42-44)
• Rd8: Sting v BOP Magic (50-43)
• Rd9: Sting v Western Flyers (68-48)
• Semi: Sting v Canterbury Flames (59-58)
• Final: Sting v Otago Rebels (50-57)

Sting's website entry: 1998 season

1998 was the beginning of the Sting phenomenon. Ascot Park Hotel Southern Sting was not even ranked by pundits at the start of the new Coca-Cola Cup season and franchise holder Southern TeamCo was hoping for a top four finish.

But the team had other ideas, and so did its supporters. From day one, Southlanders were behind the team and players were astonished when they arrived for their first game at Centennial Hall on Friday, March 27. The car park and surrounding streets were full and the game was a sell-out.

The starting lineup against the Auckland Diamonds was Donna Loffhagen and Camille Grubb shooting, Kirsty Broughton, Tasha Marshall and Reinga Bloxham through the mid-court and Bernice Mene and Michelle Krynen on defence. Debbie Munro came into the shooting circle in the third quarter and Southern Sting won 55-51, a major boost to the team, which then went on to Christchurch to another win, this time against the Canterbury Flames, 55-53, on Sunday, March 29.

The team had another double-header the next weekend, with both games at home in front of sell-out crowds. The first game, against the Waikato Wildcats, was a walk-over, with Sting winning easily 78-41. On the Sunday it was a different story. Sting was up against the favourites, the Otago Rebels, and lost 54-61, but the fans never bagged the team.

Sting played the next game away and after being five down with four minutes left, came back to beat the Shakers 50-48.

Halfway through the season and a record of four wins, one loss, Sting was looking good and took another win, 56-39, against the Northern Force away from home. However, its star shooter Loffhagen was injured and missed the next game, against the CMTV Cometz, which the Sting lost narrowly, 42-44.

A week later, Loffhagen was still unable to play and the Sting played the Bay of Plenty Magic away from home, beating it 50-43. Then it was back home for the final round robin game, against the Western Flyers and with Loffhagen playing. It was on fire to win 68-48.

Sting was second equal with the Flames on the points table, behind the Rebels, but Sting had scored 80 more goals than the Flames and so took the home semi-final after some issues around television coverage. It took only half an hour to sell all the available tickets for the semi-final and 60 minutes to just beat the Flames 59-58, thanks in part to the unbroken noise from the fans. The Rebels beat the Diamonds to gain the home advantage in the final a week later, but that was no deterrent to intrepid Sting fans. Operation Sting swung into place, with university students, from Southland, paid to wait overnight to buy extra tickets for Southlanders. Then the Southlanders themselves lined up, some for 35 hours, to get the tickets.

A convoy of 13 buses chartered by the Invercargill Licensing Trust took many of the Southland fans to Dunedin for the final, which see-sawed between the Rebels being well out in front, to the Sting leading, to the Rebels pulling away finally to win 57-50. But as a letter to The Southland Times said, the team “did us proud.”