Team strengths on display in grading

AERIAL CONTEST: Waikohu goal shoot Arahia Ruru (left) and High School Old Girls goal keep Kelly Swann-Ferris contest possession in a grading game last year. Pictures by Liam Clayton

THE opening round of grading in the senior netball competition tomorrow will provide an indication of team strengths at the start of the season and an early-season read on form.

Grading opens at 9am with the first of five games that involve premier teams from 2017.

“Across the board there has been quite a bit of player movement this year,” netball centre manager Allisa Hall said.

“There are quite a few unknowns heading into grading tomorrow, and it is hard to judge how teams might go, or make comparsons with last year until we see who is out on court.”

It will be the first of four grading rounds before the start of the competition proper on May 12 after the challenge round the week before.

Ngatapa will not field a premier-grade team this season, but will have a team in A Grade.

Defending champions YMP have the honour of stepping out on court first, when they take on Taste One High School Old Girls.

YMP have been pretty consistent over the past couple of seasons, and they should be a handful for HSOG.

“But HSOG have picked up a couple of players from Ngatapa, and one or two others who have come back, so it remains to be seen how they will go this season,” Hall said.

In the other 9am game, championship runners-up Whangara Old Girls take on Gisborne Girls’ High School Senior A.

Whangara were runners-up in the Kathleen Henderson tournament, so they will be set to give the students a testing start.

“Girls’ High finished last season strongly and have retained some of their players under new coach Irene Takao,” Hall said.

“In the 9.55am round of games, Claydens Waikohu take on last season’s high-risers Lytton Senior A.

They gave each other good workouts last season, and more of the same can be expected.

“Lytton have quite a few of their core team from 2017 back in business this season,” Hall said.

Whangara have their second match of the morning at 10.50am, against High School Old Girls.

“That could be tight,” Hall said.

Horouta Gold have their first game in grading at 11.45am, up against Lytton Senior A.

“Horouta have a new coach this year and it will be good to see what she has been able to do with them.

“They were another consistent and steady team last year.”

• The Gisborne Netball Centre had its annual general meeting this month.

Chairwoman Kate Faulks said in her annual report the past year had been “a year of ambitious attitudes towards netball in this area”.

The board had made decisions on behalf of its membership to encourage participation, plan for change and give the game a solid platform in the district, she said.

“I am thrilled with our advancement, having achieved most of our goals by working towards a clear vision of what we as a board want to achieve in Gisborne and our outreaching areas,” Faulks said.

“The openness of discussion around competition, finance and game development has been instrumental in our continual movement forward.”

Challise Rutene and Ange McClutchie have joined the board this season. The other board members are Ronnie Martin, Paku Kingi and Lexi Cheyne.