An 11-strong Hawke's Bay under-17 netball team are banking on their versatility to break open the defence of rivals at the New Zealand national tournament in Pukekohe from today.
The Lee-Anne Taylor-coached Bay are hoping to consolidate their top-eight performance from last year.
"As a group we are completely new to the performance requirements of a National Under-17 tournament. However we have been slowly building throughout the preseason," says Taylor.
"This year we have several combinations that offer different styles of netball which will be used to combat different defensive teams."
Mid-courters Hinehea Keil and Myer Pakoti are captain and vice-captain, respectively, and are returning from last year's campaign with Summer Taylor (WD, C) and Zana Renton (GK).