Hawke's Bay has a prime chance of claiming the Golden Shears Open shearing title for an eighth time in 10 years in a possible showdown next week in Masterton between defending champion Rowland Smith and new world champion John Kirkpatrick.
But despite 46-year-old Kirkpatrick's recent career peak at the world championships in Invercargill, in a 20-sheep final mixing lambs, longwool and second-shear, the favourite is likely to be 30-year-old Smith, who, while missing selection in the New Zealand team and a defence of the world title he won in Ireland in 2014, has dominated competition in New Zealand over the past 18 months.
His 19 wins last season, including his third Golden Shears Open title in Masterton and fourth New Zealand Open title in Te Kuiti, have been followed by 13 this season, including the Southland All Nations Open final during the world championships.
Kirkpatrick, who in 2002 won the first of four Golden Shears Open titles by becoming the first person to beat legend - and now Sir - David Fagan in the final in more than 12 years, and now has more Open wins to his name than anyone else apart from the Te Kuiti great, has had to settle for second place more times than he cares to remember in a comeback after missing most of the 2014-2015 season with injury.
But the popular win in Invercargill, in his fourth world championships, showed a grit which will be hard to deny in the cauldron of the Golden Shears next Thursday-to-Saturday.