Netball's centre of attention

Rotorua's Samantha Sinclair can't wait to captain her country in her home town.

Netball fans are in for a treat this week in Rotorua with two huge events being hosted at the Energy Events Centre.

On Sunday, the Kia Magic host the Southern Steel in an ANZ Championship match which will reward one side with a top four position on the competition ladder.

The Trans-Tasman Secondary Schools Netball tournament will also be held in Rotorua starting tonight, an event widely-recognised as the pinnacle of secondary schools netball.

Sinclair, who turns 18 next week, was named as co-captain of the New Zealand Secondary Schools team earlier this month for the Trans-Tasman tournament.

The four-day tournament sees 10 teams competing from as far away as Malaysia.

"It should be a lot of fun," Sinclair said.

"Our team went into camp [on Saturday] and we are just settling in and building some strong bonds."

She said she was not feeling the weight of captaincy on her shoulders and was more concerned about performing well in her own position.

"For us [as captains] it's about doing our own jobs first and then worrying about the team."

Sinclair said she even had a ritual she would be sticking to during the tournament.

"I like to sit down before each game with a notebook and write down what I want to focus on during the game," she said.

"Just before I go onto the court I start thinking about those things and try and get myself into the right frame of mind."

Netball New Zealand event manager Sara Farr said the tournament was prestigious and was a good platform for up-and-coming players to go to the next level.

"Some of the players already play in the ANZ Championship and for others it is a great pathway into the ANZ Championship," she said.

She said the competition was an invitational event and this was the first year there were 10 teams invited.

"We have four new teams this year - New Zealand Area Schools, Fiji, Samoa and Pacifika."

Only two sides have won the event, School Sports Australia and the New Zealand Secondary Schools. The event will see 120 girls competing as well as 10 international referees while 25 volunteers from Rotorua Netball Centre have been on hand. The final is on Thursday at 6pm.