The Silver Ferns charged with defending the world netball title in November will sit out the preceding national provincial championships.
Netball New Zealand today said its decision was aimed at ensuring the players were at their peak for the world tournament.
The six-day national championships in Palmerston North
end on September 29, six weeks before the world event begins in Auckland on November 10.
Coach Ruth Aitken said the move would allow the Silver Ferns to train together as a squad, rather than be spread around different teams, at a significant point in their preparation.
"By September, it will be court time we have as a group that will be important," she said.
"It will give us the opportunity to develop our combinations and look at our game strategy."
Aitken said the period between the national and the world championships was not considered a long enough break between campaigns.
She said players were "hugely committed" when they represented their provinces.
"It's not just about the one week," she said.
"It's about the build-up and the time they spend with their teams if they are going to lead the team properly, and then the time it takes to recover after intense competition."
The Silver Ferns have tests against England, Jamaica and Australia before the line-up for the world championships is named in late July.
Defending champions Waikato are likely to be the most affected by Netball NZ's decision to withhold those selected from the national tournament.
They have four players -- Irene van Dyk, Casey Williams, Joline Henry and Laura Langman -- in the present test squad.
The region's high performance co-ordinator, Nicole Dryden, said Waikato would prefer to be able to field the quartet, but she was philosophical about the directive.
She said it had been expected after Fiji lost the hosting rights for the world championships and the dates were shifted back from July.
"We can understand the reason," said Dryden, who guided Waikato to the domestic crown last year before standing down as coach.
"But our preference would be to have them and I'm sure the players' preference is that they can kit out for their province."
Dryden said the flipside was that the Silver Ferns' absence mean others would get opportunities.
And if the move helped New Zealand retain the world crown, "it's got to be a good thing".
- NZPA
