KEY POINTS:
Another week of the transtasman netball competition and the discontent over the draw rumbles on.
The quirks of the one-and-a-half-round draw was always going to be the controversial issue of the season but suggestions that it favours the New Zealand teams denotes arrogance from the Australian coaches.
With
teams from each country playing each other twice and sides from the other country once, some Australian franchises believe the stronger New Zealand teams could have an advantage as they play their weaker compatriots twice.
The Australian teams worry they will all be left battling it out in more competitive matches, while the top two New Zealand sides easily saunter into the top four in the ANZ Championship.
But the reality is the Kiwi franchises will be cutting each other's throats as well. With the exception of the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic, the New Zealand teams have struggled for consistency in the opening five rounds.
Already we have seen the Canterbury Tactix beat the Northern Mystics, the Southern Steel topple the Tactix, and then the Mystics edge past the Steel. With all-domestic clashes over the next month, those three sides will be hoping to push for play-off positions but in the process may cancel each other out. It's possible the best four teams will make it to the play-offs and it won't be an even two-two split between Australian and New Zealand franchises.
But working out the permutations and the possible make-up of the top four after five rounds is pointless.
There is no doubt that the way the table sits now the Australian teams look to have the edge, but there are some teams that have played a lot of cross-over matches and others that haven't played many at all. It won't be until later in the season that we'll get a true indication of where the teams sit.
The Queensland Firebirds, for example, sit at the top of the table at the moment, but the only sides they have had wins over are the three bottom-place teams in the league _ the Pulse, Mystics and two wins over Fever.
With four Australian teams taking out the top five spots in the competition ladder, some are already predicting doom for New Zealand at an international level as well.
Certainly the Australian sides are blessed with a lot of depth, but one thing that has been overlooked in their arguments is the number of imports in the Australian franchises. Before we start declaring Australia awash with talent we should stop to think how much impact their overseas players are having.
It's difficult to see the Firebirds having the same early success in the league if it weren't for Jamaican star Romelda Aiken and England's Tamsin Greenway holding up their attack end.
If the Northern Mystics had Aiken in the shooting circle, it's very likely they too would be sitting up near the top of the table. Or how about if the Canterbury Tactix had their defensive end bolstered by talented Thunderbirds goal keep Geva Mentor of England?
The Kiwi franchises are at a significant disadvantage when you consider their Australian counterparts are virtually free to sign whoever they wish. But this could come back to haunt Australia at international level in the coming years.
