Wrap up

What will the 2011 season bring?

The 2011 season promises to be the most intriguing year yet in the ANZ Championship. From a New Zealand point of view, there are a number of questions to be answered.

Does Noeline Taurua still have the control and belief of the dressing room at the Waikato BOP Magic after the dramas of last season? She has retained the fabulous spine of her team (Casey Williams, Laura Langman, Irene van Dyk) but they were certainly derailed by the off court dramas last year and can't afford to have that happen again.

Can the Southern Steel deliver on their undoubted promise and win a game in the playoffs? Robyn Brougton proved her ability once again with the recent Fastnet win and will hope her team can take the next step.

Will the Northern Mystics, under their new coach Debbie Fuller, be able to find some consistency and play to somewhere near their potential? Fuller has arguably the best line-up in the competition and in full flow they should be a delight to watch.

While there is no question that the Canterbury Tactix will go better than their disastrous 2010 season, how much further can they go as there are still doubts over their attacking end? Let's hope last year was just a blip, as the Tactix were very solid performers in the first two years of the championship.

Fans of the Central Pulse saw encouraging signs over the last campaign as they pushed several teams close but they are still regarded by many as one of New Zealand's weakest professional sporting franchise in any code. There have been some mitigating factors with player recruitment and the like but it is an unenviable title that hopefully they will shed this year.

Adding to the mix, Ruth Aitken will name her World Championships team after the first six rounds; not a lot of time for any players outside the squad to impress. It is still likely that she will stick to her Delhi heroes when working out the mix for Singapore but there is no doubt that the recent series against England had more negatives than positives. Perhaps the door is open now for one or two youngsters so there is everything to play for.
 
Personally, I have four wishes for this season.

The first is that the new umpire rotation, meaning that games in Australia are not solely officiated by Australian umpires and vice versa, will led to less complaints after the differences in interpretation. It is sometimes used as an excuse for poor performance by the New Zealand teams away from home but frankly, after three seasons, enough is enough. It has also led to confusion for coaches, players and supporters and anything that adds more clarity is very welcome.
 
Secondly, can another local franchise, apart from the Magic, actually win a game over the Tasman as it is getting a little bit embarrassing. The Aussies are good, the stadiums are intimidating and the travel can be difficult but that is all part of professional sport. Our teams are just as good and maybe it just comes down to belief.
 
Thirdly, if and when the Pulse win a couple of games, could we please have more muted celebrations? No champagne, no parades and no appearances on national television to talk about it. Doing that actually adds to the pressure next time, and creates the expectation that it was a one-off. Anyway, winning is their job.
 
Finally, let's hope the trophy is held aloft by the skipper of a New Zealand team in the May. The Australians have had a mortgage on this competition and it is more than time for a change. The Magic, Steel and Mystics are genuine contenders and with an ounce of luck may just go all the way this year and claim the ultimate prize.

Let the season begin!!

Cheers,
Michael