Netball New Zealand coach development manager Leigh Gibbs found it difficult to give an answer when asked if the revamped national championships had been a success.
Instead, she turned the question back on the reporter.
"How do you judge what has worked?" she responded.
Gibbs, who has played for the Silver Ferns, coached at the top level and been an umpire, was not deliberately evasive, rather just making a point.
"They [tournament and round-robin formats] offer quite different challenges for coaches and players," Gibbs said.
"And we need our players and coaches to have the challenge of both.
From that perspective it [the new format] is great."
The competition underwent an overhaul this year, with the first grade splitting into two divisions of a top six and bottom six based on the ranking from the 2007 tournament.
Those teams played four home and away round-robin matches through September.
The competition then reverted to the traditional tournament format, with the teams completing their final round-robin match in Rotorua on Thursday before going on to play in play-offs, semifinals and finals if they were lucky.
In the past, teams fought for national supremacy during a week-long tournament which often became a battle of attrition.
That structure had its advantages when preparing for international events like world championships.
But with the advent of the semi-professional ANZ Championship, Netball New Zealand deemed it prudent to make changes.
The week-by-week format allows coaches and players time to work on weaknesses and strategies.
It also mirrors the format of the ANZ Championship.
Gibbs believes the standard of play has been comparable to previous national tournaments, but said splitting the first grade into two divisions had resulted in more even games.
The competition has been topsy-turvy, with many of the matches decided by less than five goals.
But despite the close netball, the bleachers have been sparsely populated.
However, Gibbs did not feel that was an accurate gauge of how successful the tournament had been, suggesting crowds had traditionally been lean.
With a lot more netball on television and the rising cost of travelling to support a team, small crowds were not surprising.
