Adrian Seconi

If you have been in a coma for the past 12 months you could be forgiven for thinking we have got the score around the wrong way.

Supposedly, the Steel is not looking at the competition table this season.

Whisper it, but the Otago Nuggets have actually won five games in a row.

Kali Bennett is not convinced about the merits of Marmite but the Californian has fallen in love with Dunedin.

When it comes to throwing the ball through a small hole from about 20m back, Steel midcourter Courtney Tairi is the unofficial franchise champion.

Steel shooter Jhaniele Fowler put on a near-flawless display to guide her side to a 67-52 win against the Northern Mystics at the Stadium Southland Velodrome last night.

Invercargill will get to see international netball this season after all.

Steel defender Rachel Rasmussen has a score to settle with her little sister, Grace.

Black Caps coach Mike Hesson will leave for England with the team on Monday buoyed by the improvement his test side has shown and hopeful the captaincy saga has finally been laid to rest.

There is not much to see yet but Otago Boys' High School First XI coach Ken Rust hopes the $80,000 upgrade of the school's cricket nets will help inspire a new generation.

Is the end nigh? For the past couple of seasons the Otago Nuggets have brought an end to several dubious records.

Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum says he will sue former New Zealand cricketer John Parker for defamation unless he makes a public retraction regarding damaging claims he made in a document about the captaincy saga.

Holy smoke and other expressions of astonishment - the Otago Nuggets are actually really good.

For Akeem Wright it all feels very familiar with one notable exception.

Scoring 55-60 goals in an ANZ Championship match used to be enough for a win on most occasions - but not this season.

Dunedin mountain biker Erin Greene had to wait four years to defend her 24-hour endurance title.

Otago Nuggets coach Alf Arlidge would have been entitled to bust out a dance move or two after his side thrashed the Super City Rangers 111-77 at the Edgar Centre on Saturday night.

Otago coach Vaughn Johnson has re-signed for two further seasons. Johnson was a surprise appointment two years ago - he did not apply for the job but was shoulder-tapped by the association during the process and agreed to take on the role.