KEY POINTS:
Auckland-Waitakere have taken the box seat in the race for netball's provincial crown with a handy three-point buffer over their closest rival heading into the championship week in Rotorua
The defending champions are the only side guaranteed a place in the semifinals after a tight, yet fairly pedestrian
46-44 win over local rivals Netball North at the weekend.
North's disappointment at the loss was compounded by Waikato's shock 43-39 win over Southland yesterday, producing a standings logjam.
After Auckland-Waitakere, just one point separates the next four teams, which sets the scene for an intriguing scrap for play-off positions in Rotorua.
Given the logjam at the top of the table, Netball North (10 points), Southland, Otago and Waikato (9) all face do-or-die scenarios in their final round-robin clashes on Thursday.
Western are also an outside chance of sneaking in to the semis, though they must win their round-five match against Southland and rely on both Otago and Waikato losing theirs.
After setting the pace in the early rounds of the competition, North captain Vilimaina Davu is disappointed her side are under such pressure to make the finals. An error-ridden final quarter let the North Harbour side down at the weekend, but they will be especially kicking themselves for their round-three loss to Waikato - a match they led by 13 goals at one stage.
North must beat Otago on Thursday to solidify their place in the top four. Davu said that despite her side losing their way recently, she was confident they could rediscover their winning form at the right time.
"For us we can't worry too much about what has happened in the last couple of games, we just have to re-group and get ready for the week ahead," the former Silver Fern said.
"We're still in the top four and we'll fight hard to stay there."
And a fight it will be.
Coached by the astute Georgina Salter, the Otago side, who overwhelmed Western 51-46 on Saturday, have proved strong contenders this season with a number of notable young up-and-comers in their side.
Along with NZ Under-21 stars Jess Moulds and Hannah Broederlow, the Otago side also features experienced campaigners Debbie White and Phillipa Finch.
Davu said that for her side to topple the plucky southerners, they needed to address several shortcomings in their own game revealed in recent weeks.
"We need to look after possession and score off our turnovers. It's all very well to be able to get turnovers, but if you don't score off them they're worthless."
In Thursday's other final-round matches, Western will take on Southland, while Auckland Waitakere meet the fast-improving Waikato side.
The two teams that do not make it in to the top four face a fight for their survival in division one, with the bottom-ranked team to play a promotion-relegation match against the winner of the second division.
While the first grade teams will not be in action in Rotorua until Thursday, the National Championships begin today for the grade two sides, who play their tournament across the course of the week.