By JULIE ASH
The first step to national provincial netball supremacy starts this weekend with the opening round of preliminary games.
The 12 first-grade regional teams have been divided into three pools based on their seedings from last year's championship.
Over the next two weekends the four teams in each pool will play
off to determine the first and second divisions (top six and bottom six) of the first grade.
Round-robin play within each section then takes place at a week-long tournament in Palmerston North starting on September 20.
Teams are then seeded 1-12 and divided into a top four, middle four and bottom four.
The top four play off for the championship title while the middle four and bottom four play off to determine next year's seedings.
So to remain in the running for the national title, teams must perform in the preliminary games to ensure they secure a top-two finish.
Pool A, featuring Waikato, Wellington, Southland and Tasman, is probably the most competitive.
Defending champions Waikato should go through relatively untroubled, but the big question is whether it will be the Waimarama Taumaunu-coached Wellington side or Southland who will join them.
Last year Wellington finished sixth, one place ahead of Southland. But the southerners have lured Silver Ferns Lesley Nicol and Adine Harper to join Donna Loffhagen.
Netball North should dominate pool B and Otago should clinch the second spot ahead of Western and Counties Manukau.
With Silver Ferns Vilimaina Davu and Jodi Te Huna, and powerful Southern Sting defender Anna Galvan on board, Canterbury could take the honours in pool C, leaving Auckland Waitakere and the Bay of Plenty to fight it out for second.
Overall, the teams appear a little more even than last year. Waikato boast an impressive line-up, but Southland, Netball North, Canterbury and possibly Auckland Waitakere have the potential to pry the title off them.
