Basketball: Star netballers switch courts

By JULIE ASH and PETER JESSUP

With two Tall Ferns, a Silver Fern and a handful of top netballers, the Auckland women's team should be a force in this year's national league when they return after a four-year absence.

Tall Ferns Sally Farmer and Charmian Purcell, who also plays for the Auckland Diamonds netball side, head an Auckland Sonics side who also include new Silver Fern Daneka Wipiiti and her Force netball team-mate Malu Faasavalu.

Others in the mix include Diamonds Kiri Adams, Rachel Rasmussen, Phillipa Te Hira and Otago Rebels player Angelina Yates.

The national league has been revamped from last year when seven teams - four from the South Island and three from the north - played in separate competitions before the top two in each region met in the playoffs.

This year Auckland, North Harbour, Waikato, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago will compete in a double round-robin competition before the semifinals and final on August 9 and 10.

Auckland coach Brett Goebel describes the Waikato team, whose starting five are all current or former Tall Ferns, as "a fantastic lineup".

"Canterbury will also be strong with Tall Fern Gina Farmer," he said.

In the first round, Auckland play Otago tonight at Unitec and then face the Dion Meha-coached North Harbour at the North Shore Events Centre on Sunday. Harbour play Otago at home tomorrow.

* The Auckland Stars have had a less-than-ideal preparation for their must-win men's national league game against the Palmerston North Jets at Unitec tonight, with coach Kenny Stone unable to speak.

Stone copped an elbow to the throat when playing Canterbury last Friday and has had less than a croak to issue instructions this week. He has cramped his writing hand and given all the yelling work to assistant Adrian Boyd.

Rob Tuilave will play despite receiving a broken nose and bruised sternum in the physical game in Christchurch. The team are Lindsay Tait, Daniel Barritt, Lawrence Dickie, Glen Joe, Lance Baker, Simon Mesritz, Daryl Cartwright, Stone, Casey Frank, Allan Wesche, Reece Cassidy, Ben Valentine and Tuilave.

Auckland can join the Jets in fourth spot with a win.

Harbour play Manawatu tomorrow night but are likely to be without Steve Jackson, who has a bruised elbow, and Jeff Niwa, troubled by a shoulder strain.

The Tall Blacks tour will take some sting out of Waikato's game away to Nelson tonight, with Pero Cameron and Ed Book unlikely to face off as both rest calf injuries. The Titans go on to Otago and should secure at least one from two to stay in the top two.

Second-placed Wellington host leaders Canterbury tonight and go away to Hawkes Bay on Sunday. They should cop two hidings and drop back.