The Volts were beaten by five wickets by Northern Districts in the twenty20 final in Hamilton on Saturday night.
The HRV Cup enjoys the highest profile of the three formats and the promise of playing in the lucrative Champions League ensures all six major associations take it very seriously.
But the Plunket Shield has a wonderful history, and four-day cricket remains the best measure of a player's ability.
No other format can boast a more genuine battle between the bowler and the batsman. Without the pressing need to score, batsmen can build an innings and, likewise, bowlers are not banished the moment they concede a boundary or two. The game rewards concentration more than it does instinct. It is where placement is king and power merely useful.
While Otago has proven itself a very talented limited-overs side, success has been elusive at first-class level. The province last won the title in 1987-88, when perms were still popular. So were moustaches. Enough said.
Otago came very close last summer, stumbling at the last hurdle. With five rounds gone this season, the Volts are very much in the hunt again.
They are in third place with 39 points. Canterbury leads with 62 points from Wellington (50). Auckland (37), Northern Districts (32) and Central Districts (27) have some ground to make up but are not out of contention with a maximum of 20 points up for grabs each game.
The competition resumes today and Otago will host Canterbury at the University Oval. It is a great opportunity for Otago to make some inroads into Canterbury's lead.
The home side will be missing three key personnel from the team which drew with Central Districts in December.
Perhaps the biggest loss is top-order batsman Jesse Ryder. In five games for the province he has scored 573 runs at an average of 71.62, including three hundreds. That form got him promoted to the Black Caps and he is also in line for a test recall which will keep him out of the Otago side until late next month.
All-rounders Jimmy Neesham and Nathan McCullum are also involved in the one-day international series against India which will conclude in Wellington on January 31.
Neesham is Otago's leading wicket-taker this summer with 15 scalps at 22.20 and is averaging close to 50 with the bat.
McCullum's experience will also be missed. The offspinner has played 58 games for Otago, scoring 2166 runs at 26.41 and taking 108 wickets at 42.50.
The good news is New Zealand test players Neil Wagner and Hamish Rutherford return to the fold. Wagner took nine wickets in the nine-wicket win against Canterbury when the side last played in November.
He has 185 wickets for the province and is the ninth leading wicket-taker of all time for Otago and is closing in on Gren Alabaster (205) in eighth place. Stephen Boock's record haul of 399 will take some beating, though.
Meanwhile, opener Neil Broom is scaling the all-time list for scorers. Broom (sixth overall) has 4382 runs in 72 games for Otago. He has overhauled Chris Gaffaney (4326) and Noel McGregor (4259) this season and has Glenn Turner's total of 4439 in his sights.
Broom needs more than 2000 runs to overhaul Craig Cumming (6589) at the top.
He has been opening this season but may drop back down to No 4 with Ryder missing and to accommodate Rutherford.
Brad Rodden has forced his way into the squad of 13 on the back of strong performances for Otago A and in club cricket. If Rodden is included in the playing XI, it will be his first-class debut.
Ian Butler and Iain Robertson were not considered due to injury.
Plunket Shield: University Oval, starts today
Otago: Hamish Rutherford, Aaron Redmond, Michael Bracewell, Neil Broom, Sam Wells, Derek de Boorder (captain), Mark Craig, Neil Wagner, Jacob Duffy, James McMillan, Blair Soper, Nick Beard, Brad Rodden.
Canterbury: Peter Fulton, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Shanan Stewart, George Worker, Dean Brownlie, Brad Cachopa, Andrew Ellis, Todd Astle, Matt Henry, Logan van Beek, Ryan McCone.
