Illawarra Steelers determined to secure elusive grand final berth

Standing in their way are the West Tigers - a side his Steelers have already defeated in 2019.

But Lacey knows that result will mean very little when the two teams step onto Campbelltown Stadium from 10am on Saturday.

"It was really good to bounce back the way we did last Friday against Parramatta," Lacey said.

"The loss to the Dragons was tough but it made us go back to the drawing board.

"I stressed to the girls there's no easy games at this part of the season and that we needed to be up for the challenge mentally, because everyone will be physically.

"Thankfully the girls produced a performance I know they're capable of, to keep our season alive."

Lacey's side were in the identical position in the inaugural season in 2017, before losing the corresponding game to Canterbury-Bankstown, after defeating the Sharks in the elimination final the week before.

Then last season, despite a strong regular season, his side were bundled out in straight sets - eliminated in round two of the finals.

So Lacey and his side, featuring Group Seven's Keele Browne, Meg Buchanan (both Milton-Ulladulla), Teagan Berry and Riley Scott (both Stingrays), are determined to go further than any Steelers girls team has ever gone before.

"To defeat the Tigers, we will need a strong start and put pressure on their playmakers," he said.

"If we can rattle them and force them out of their comfort zone, I know we have enough firepower to win on Saturday.

"The key for us with the ball will be completing our sets - in all our matches against the remaining four sides (Tigers, Knights and Dragons), we have completed on less than 60 per cent of our sets.

"Completing on offence is an easy thing to say but a hard thing to do but regardless of the situation, we need to produce."

A win on Saturday would get Lacey one step closer to achieving a long-term goal of his.

"Reaching the final would be uncharted waters for us but at the end of the day, is the reason we play this game," he said.

"This finals run has been three years in the making and we are all determined to prove it is our time.

"A lot of these girls from been together since playing together in the Lisa Fiola under 16s competition.

"I hope all the girls get rewarded for all their hard work up to this point with a win on Saturday."

Lacey's side aren't the only Steelers side in this weekend's preliminary finals, with Ben Linde's SG Ball side taking on Parramatta from 11.30am at Campbelltown Stadium - with the winner playing the victory of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and Central Coast Roosters.

Linde's squad features Warilla-Lake South's Blake Dowel and Sam Hooper, Milton-Ulladulla's Oscar Fitzpatrick, Albion Park-Oak Flats' Joshua Coric and Berry-Shoalhaven Heads' Oliver Parrish.