SURF LIFESAVING - Rest is best in league

SHANE HURNDELL
DAN Moodie loves his sleep-ins.
But the surf lifesaving ironman whiz doesn't get too many with all his early morning training sessions. Naturally when he does get them, Moodie makes the most of them.
This weekend's national Surf League in Mount Maunganui will be one of those occasions.
Unlike at the last three leagues Moodie won't have to get up early to do under-19 events in the morning before his open events in the afternoon tomorrow and Sunday.
"It's going to be good not having to get up so early and the reduced workload will definitely makes things easier for me," said the Westshore club member.
"I'll be doing four or five events each day compared with the 10 each day I did for the last three years," said Moodie.
It's no secret he's the key athlete as Hawke's Bay attempt to become the first Central Region province to win the senior league.
Moodie has heard the talk coming out of the Bay of Plenty which suggests the hosts are the warm favourites and has rubbished it.
"Auckland and Gisborne are the teams to watch," he said.
Moodie checked out the Mount Maunganui Beach this morning as he spoke to SportToday and described conditions as "overcast above and minimal surf on the water."
"The surf was only about half a foot. Hopefully it will be bigger tomorrow," he said.
Like his Hawke's Bay and Westshore teammates, world ski race champion Nikki Cox and Callum Joll, Moodie, is a contender for the New Zealand World Championship squad to be named on Sunday.
His chances won't be harmed if he helps Hawke's Bay become the first Central Region team to win the league. Moodie's battle with Bay of Plenty's Glenn Anderson and Gisborne's Matt Sutton in the ironman is likely to be one of the highlights of the weekend.
Wellington and Taranaki will also be aiming to become the first Central Region province to win the league. Taranaki have come closest in the past with runner-up finishes in 2002 and 2006.
Hawke's Bay's best finishes to date were fourth last year and in 2005.
Anderson, the New Zealand team captain, led Gisborne to victory last year.
He agreed there will be plenty of pressure on his team to perform as it also boasts his national teammates Johanna O'Connor, Nathan Henderson and Chelsea Maples.
"With the quality of our team and the names on paper, all the eyes are going to be on us but it's a team effort at the end of the day and we just need to pull together,"he said.
"To win this, you can't win five races and then come last in five races.
"You need to be consistently in the top four the whole time.
"Looking at the team, we can consistently do that," he added.
The surf league consists of 17 events tomorrow and Sunday. An under-19 competition involving the seven provinces will also be staged.
The Hawke's Bay senior team is: James Thompson, Dan Moodie, Michael Harman, Ben Cross, Scott Bicknell, Shane Bennett (captain), Jared Phelps, Callum Joll, Effie Milne, Renee Baarspul, Nikki Cox, Jess Hart, Chantelle Cowlrick.