The Otago men’s side have made it through to the top-four crossover games courtesy of an impressive 4-0 win against Auckland.
A win against Canterbury today will leave them well placed to make Saturday’s final.
The Otago women have not fared as well as hoped.
They have suffered three comprehensive defeats. But in a way their tournament restarts today with a match against Waikato.
If they win their remaining games they could still finish as high as fifth, which would be a good result for them.
The Otago B men’s team has not been tracking that well either. They bounced back with a 2-1 win against Taranaki yesterday.
But they started their campaign with three consecutive losses and will be battling for the minor placings from here on out.
Gill was philosophical about the mixed results.
He is coaching the women’s side and thought their 5-1 loss to Wellington on Tuesday was their best performance to date.
They were competitive for much of the match but faded late, conceding three late goals.
"We just ran out of legs pretty much and they whacked in three extra goals," Gill said.
"But, as I said at the start of the tournament, we are going to be challenged all week and we’re playing as best as we can.
"Waikato are probably at our level, so we are going to give it a crack and see if we can get a win."
If they can also beat Hawke’s Bay tomorrow then they will make it into the playoff for fifth. But realistically Otago seem likely to be in the playoff for seventh and eighth and Waikato shape as the likely opponent.
Captain Maddie Peel has been a rock for Otago in the midfield, while Annabelle Schneideman has been in good touch up front and goalie Rachel Lecky has kept the score down with some wonderful performances.
The Otago men had an off day against Waikato but have otherwise been impressive.
Veteran Black Caps defender Blair Tarrant has been dominant at the back. Strikers Nic Finlayson and Kieran O’Connor have been sharp in front of the net.
Jordan Ward slotted a couple of penalty corner goals against Auckland.
Their game against Canterbury today shapes as a campaign-defining match.
"That will be a big match ... and my expectation, well, I’d like to say that we’d win it. We’ve won the last couple of games against them.
"We beat them in the Mainland Cup and in the Otautahi Cup. It will be a big southern derby and it’s going to be exciting to watch."
Gill felt the Otago men’s B team was "doing OK".
"They’re a young bunch of boys. They didn’t have the best buildup for the tournament and are just getting into their work now."
Thomas Medder, Daniel Torr and goalie Hugh Nixon have all stood out for the Bs.
