KEY POINTS:
Organisers of next year's transtasman league can cross off a major task from their to-do list after finalising the draw for the inaugural season.
ANZ Championship general manager Tony Holding yesterday released the draw for 2008, with the 17-week competition set to start on April 5.
The Wellington-based
Central Pulse will play the opening match against the Melbourne Vixens in Wellington.
Games will be played on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays with administrators keen on pushing the idea of Monday night netball.
Many of the feature matches will be played on a Monday, including two play-off games and the grand final on July 28.
The Northern Mystics, Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic and Southern Steel each have seven home games, while the Central Pulse and Canterbury Flames play six.
The Pulse and the Flames are the only New Zealand teams who have to make the long journey to Perth to face the West Coast Fever.
Magic coach Noeline Taurua said the travel schedule was better than she expected. "Our away games aren't too strenuous when you think about all the teams we're coming up against. Our big games away are Melbourne, Sydney and Invercargill."
The Magic meet Adelaide, Auckland and Sydney in the opening three rounds of the competition. The make-up of the teams has yet to be decided but the three sides have all been heavyweights of their respective domestic leagues and Taurua expects her team is in for a tough initiation.
"Adelaide, Auckland and Sydney are likely to be three teams with a lot of firepower. We know we're going to have to hit our stride right at the beginning of the competition, but that's just how it is."
Taurua admitted she would prefer not to open the season against an Australian team as they are more of an unknown quantity. "We're just going to have to take it in our stride. Obviously there's going to be a lot that we have to get used to in regards to the speed and the different style. But if you take the positives from that, they have to get used to us as well."
The Northern Mystics play just two regular season games across the Tasman, with their bye round in week seven of the competition.
Mystics coach Yvonne Willering said she was happy with the format.
"When I first heard of the concept I thought the New Zealand teams would all play each other first and then meet the Australian teams, so it's good that they're all intermingled."
The New Zealand franchises all play each other twice, and meet the Australian teams once in the regular season and vice versa. The play-off format is identical to that of the National Bank Cup - the top two teams meet each other in the first semifinal, and the third and fourth placed teams play-off in the second.
The winner of the major semifinal advances through to the grand final, while the loser battles it out with the winner of the minor semifinal for a shot at the title.
