Dana Johannsen of the New Zealand Herald runs a rule over the five New Zealand teams.
Mystics: You have to feel for new coach Ruth Aitken. The Mystics have had an extremely disjointed pre-season after the late withdrawal of co-captain Anna Harrison, who announced last month she is expecting her first child, and the loss of experienced defender Charlotte Kight, injured in the team's second training session after the Christmas break. Add to that the absence of Maria Tutaia for a decent chunk of the pre-season and Grace Rasmussen's niggly calf injury and the Mystics appear as though they will start the season well behind the eight-ball. Former Steel midcourter Hayley Saunders has been recruited to cover the losses, joining the team in Auckland this week. But questions have been asked as to why she wasn't approached sooner.
Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic: The defending champions have been quietly going about their business in the pre-season, with their only public hitout against the Pulse in New Plymouth last month, which they won. The Silver Ferns in the group are in good nick after coming back from the summer break fit and refreshed, with several top players reportedly achieving new fitness standards. Noeline Taurua has declared her side to be 4-6 weeks ahead of where they were at last season, which is probably a good thing considering they opened 2012 with four straight losses.
Central Pulse: Tipped to be the movers and shakers of the competition this season, with Liana Leota and Donna Wilkins boosting what was already a well-rounded line-up. New mum Joline Henry is said to be making steady progress in her battle to be ready for the team's opening clash against the Thunderbirds in Adelaide, but she acknowledges it will be a couple of months before she is back to her best. The Wellington-based team will have their final hit-out today against the Tactix in a pre-season friendly in Christchurch.
Mainland Tactix: The Tactix have had a couple of injuries to manage over the pre-season, with Bessie Manu and new recruit Julianna Naoupu sitting out the pre-season tournament in Melbourne. Naoupu has had to ease her way back into action after undergoing knee surgery in the off-season, but the young shooter is expected to be ready for the Tactix season-opener against her former team the Magic.
Southern Steel: After recording their worst finish in the league last season with only goal percentage saving them from collecting the wooden spoon, the Steel have shown promising signs pre-season. The Southern team had a couple of strong results in the pre-season tournament in Melbourne last month, with 1.98m Jamaican import Jhaniele Fowler settling in well at the franchise (especially now she has a new custom-made bed). The Steel will have their final tune-up in Dunedin today against a legends team including Adine Wilson, Belinda Colling, Tania Dalton and Jenny-May Coffin.
