Otago is not yet at the must-win stage but it wants to secure its position in the top four in Timaru today.
The game against Canterbury gives Otago an opportunity to guarantee a place in the national championship semifinals in Porirua next week.
There is another chance, against Bay of Plenty in Porirua on Wednesday.
But Otago coach Deb Tasi-Cordtz would much prefer to see her side send a message of intent with a strong performance against a classy Canterbury side today.
"If we win, we're guaranteed a top-four spot," Tasi-Cordtz said.
"We want to head to Wellington with a game up our sleeve. It would be nice to have things sorted out this weekend."
Otago made a rough start to the championship, with two straight losses, but it rebounded with a solid win over Auckland.
The season is not long, and Tasi-Cordtz knows Otago needs to lift its efforts if it is going to seriously challenge for the title.
"It's such a short season. It's pretty intense, really. Every game is like a final, so there is pressure on you all the time.
"We're a pretty fit, young team. I think that's in our favour. We lack a bit of experience but girls are fronting up because they're so fit and keen."
Canterbury is the defending champion and has no obvious weakness.
Anna Galvan and Charlotte Kight anchor a staunch defensive circle, former Otago and Silver Ferns linkwoman Maree Bowden runs the middle, and Anna Thompson features in an attacking combination that has plenty of depth.
"Canterbury are very formidable," Tasi-Cordtz said. "They're very quick and they're full of Tactix players. They won last year and haven't changed their team a lot.
"But our girls are keen to match up against them. We're coming off a consistent performance, and it's always good to get your first win.
"We've got confidence that what we're doing is right. We just need to do it more often."
Otago heads to Porirua on Tuesday morning, and plays Bay of Plenty on Wednesday afternoon. Semifinals are on Thursday and finals on Friday.
If Otago does not win one of its next two games, it will join one other first-division side in a promotion-relegation scrap with the top two second-division teams.
Canterbury leads the first division on 12 points, followed by Wellington (8), Otago (5), Bay of Plenty, Southland (both 4) and Auckland (0).
