The Hornets have beaten the Steelers in each of their three matches this season but Hornets coach Barry McTaggart said the playoffs would be a `different ball game'.

"We will be under some pressure, no doubt about that," McTaggart said. "We are the hunted, everyone wants to knock us off."

The team had consistently rated the Steelers as their toughest team in the league and McTaggart expected them to be in the grand final.

"We said all along that if we were lucky enough to make the grand final we would be playing them," McTaggart said. "We were very surprised they dropped to fourth place. But we were going to have to beat them at some point to win the championship, so we just have to win."

The Hornets have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and will have games two and three in Horsham next weekend.

But McTaggart wants to win game one.

"Winning game one is essential," McTaggart said. "Last year in the playoffs we lost game one and then dropped game two at home so we need to beat them at home or else we will be under a lot of pressure next week."

Reigning league Most Valuable Player Kevin Benn will be the key player for the Steelers and the Hornets have focused their preparation on stopping the bruising 194-centimetre forward.

"Benn will always get his 20 points and 10 rebounds," McTaggart said. "But we need to limit him to just that."

In the last match between the two sides Hornets forward Marcus Wright was ejected from the game for tangling with Benn and McTaggart wants his star to keep his head.

"There is something between those two," McTaggart said. "They don't like each other. Marcus is too important to us to be out of the game. He has to keep his head and stay in the game."

Hornets star Liam Norton has stayed in Horsham this week to prepare for the match instead of returning to Melbourne.

"When Liam is on, no-one in the league can stop him," McTaggart said. "It has been a big bonus to have him with the team this week."