Otago coach Nicola Jones hopes to get the usual benefits out of two pre-season games against Canterbury in Timaru tomorrow.
Jones, back in charge for a third time in place of Georgie Salter, will get her first significant opportunity to prepare for next month's national championships.
Normally, this is a time to chop and change as coaches embark on the search for their best starting line-up, and Otago intends to follow form.
"I want to try out some combinations and I suppose gauge where we're at," Jones said yesterday.
"There's only a couple of weeks before our first competition game so we need to get cracking."
Otago performed above itself to finish third at the national championships in Rotorua last year, with the vastly experienced Salter leading the team to a 56-53 win over North in the final game.
But Phillipa Finch, Jessica Tuki, Debbie White, Millie Lees and Hannah Broederlow are all missing from that squad.
"There are a number of players who aren't available, which is a bit disappointing for Netball Otago," Jones said.
"But that has opened the doors for some other players to come in."
Jones can call on the experience of former Silver Ferns Jodi Brown and Jo Morrison in the shooting circle, backed by the exciting Greir Campbell and Lizzie Sandom.
Debbie Hill is mixing netball with volleyball and will link with Hayley Saunders in the midcourt, while promising student Kate Shearer is likely to start at wing attack.
Louise Thayer is the key figure in a young defensive circle.
Most of the Otago players will play club netball today, two games against Canterbury tomorrow and a game against the Otago men on Monday night.
Jones said she hoped to "overload" the players to prepare them for the intensity of the national finals, to be held in Invercargill from September 30 to October 3.
Canterbury was promoted from second division last year and has a strong line-up featuring a handful of Tactix players.
However, it is missing classy midcourter Joanne McCaw - out for the season with a knee injury - as well as new Silver Ferns Anna Thompson and Larrissa Willcox.
The Otago-Canterbury games in Timaru are at 10.30am and 1pm tomorrow.
Otago team
For pre-season games
Jo Morrison, Jodi Brown, Kate Shearer, Debbie Hill, Rihi Salter, Hayley Saunders, Emma Moynihan, Louise Thayer, Sarah Lansdown, Lizzie Sandom, Greir Campbell.
