Georgina Salter is back at the helm of the Otago netball team, eight years after she last coached the province's elite players.
Netball Otago's regional manager Nicki Paterson yesterday confirmed Salter would prepare the Otago team for this year's national championships.
Nicola Jones, who guided Otago to third place at last year's national championships, was scheduled to coach the team but has withdrawn due to family commitments.
Salter had her last representative season with the Otago team in 2000, after coaching the side for 10 years.
She coached the Otago Rebels in 1998-99 and after a stint with the Auckland Diamonds in 2001-02, spent about two years in the Cook Islands, where she was a technical adviser for the national side.
However, in recent years she has coached club and provincial age grade teams and last year guided Otago B to second place at the national championships.
Salter, who lives near Oamaru, was yesterday quick to stress this was not a coaching comeback, just a chance to help out Otago netball.
"I have retired from international netball. That's what I've told myself and my family.
"I've been taking teams over the last few years, just filling in the gaps. I've sort of stayed in the mix, taking on the teams that don't have coaches.
"When Nic Jones was unable to fulfil her commitments and they asked me to do it, I thought this was a similar call.
"I'm involved at club level with Southern so it's a relatively rational step.''
Salter said she still had the enthusiasm, commitment and experience required to coach at this level and was excited by the talent on offer in Otago.
Otago won the Lois Muir Challenge tournament, and she was hopeful the Otago players involved in the ANZ Championship would also make themselves available for the national tournament.
Paterson was disappointed Jones was unable to build on last year's effort at the nationals but was thrilled to get a coach of Salter's experience on board.
"Georgina brings a huge amount of experience and passion to this position,'' she said.
"We're fortunate that we have some very experienced coaches down this way.''
This year's tournament had been revamped and would be played over five weekends. The increased length of the tournament was one of the main reasons for Jones, who has a young family, withdrawing from the role.
The tournament semifinals and finals will be played in Rotorua from October 2-4.
Otago has qualified for division one and will play Waikato, Auckland, Western, Southland and Northland in round robin games.
Otago trials would be held in late July and August.
