They're leading the pack at present, but Illawarra coach Alicia-Kate Hawke says the Steelers will be in the thick of a finals bottleneck come the end of the season.
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With four wins from five games, and a bye thrown in, the Steelers sit two points clear at the top of the ladder following a grafting 16-10 win over the Bulldogs last week.
It's a good spot to be at the midpoint of a 10-game campaign, but they'll still face one of the most ruthless finals cuts on offer in any competition, with 11 teams vying for just four finals spots.
With sides two through five all locked on eight competition points, and the next four just two points adrift, it's likely to see up to three genuine title hopes not feature in the post-season at all.
Hawke said the old adage that every minute counts is no cliche for her side heading into another blockbuster against North Sydney this week.
"It's going to be a very close finish to try and see who can get across the line for those top four spots, that's for sure," Hawke said.
"There's four teams on equal second at the moment. It's not so much a matter of trying to look at who's going to do what and who's going to beat who, you've got to be focused on winning every game.
"Then, if you are getting a good start on teams, you do need to be playing out that full 70 minutes to get every point you can, and also defend your line as hard as you can too.
"That's probably why we were a little bit disappointed with our game against the Dragons a couple of weeks ago because that was a really good opportunity for us to continue on after a great first half and really seal the deal.
"[Last week] was something we were really happy with, but we've still got some things to refine before we can say we're playing our best footy."
The Bears have been a perennial powerhouse in the NSW Women's Premiership, and boast arguably the most imposing forward pack in the competition stacked with rep stars.
It will make the battle in the middle a pivotal one.
"This is going to be a huge test, it's the biggest pack we're going to come up against and they've got a lot of threats across the park," Hawke said.
"At the start of the season we thought they'd be a very tough one. There's not really any spot on the field that's vulnerable for them.
"As far as their power game, anyone running at you is going to be really tough to handle, so you can't switch off for even one tackle or they'll just go right through you.
"It's going to be a big battle and being able to see if we can trust our processes and stick to us rather than get de-railed and try and do anything different."
The Bears strength up front makes Kezie Apps a major out for the Steelers this week, with fellow Jillaroos star Emma Tonegato also unavailable.
It's going to be a very close finish to try and see who can get across the line for those top four spots
- Alicia-Kate Hawke
Both were outstanding against the Bulldogs last week, but Hawke says her side will continue to pride itself on depth across the board.
"I'm excited because I know that the girls we're putting out there can definitely do it," she said.
"Em's great at the back of the field, and gets you out of so much trouble, but we've got a lot of girls out there that can do the job.
"It's exciting, not only for me to give them a chance, but for everybody else to see the strength and the depth that we do have. I'm looking forward to a couple more of them putting their hand up.
"It's going to be harder and harder [competition] for positions as the weeks go on, so we're looking for a couple to cement that in."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
