Netball: Competition fierce for premier spots

Whangarei Netball Centre (WNC) started the 2012 netball season with premier grading.

Seven premier teams from 2011 (the same teams as last year except for Whangarei Old Boys who sadly were unable to field a premier team this year) and the two top premier reserve teams from 2011 competed for the eight premier spots in 2012 on Saturday.

The WNC netball grading system only allows the top two premier reserve teams from the previous season to challenge for premiers. So Wahine Toa 1 and Wahine Toa 2 were required to play a round robin against the three bottom-ranked premier teams from 2011. These were Manawanui 1, Takahiwai 1, and Onerahi 2. The remaining four premier teams including Fideliter 1, WGHS 1, Onerahi 1 and Whangaruru Combined played a round robin to determine their ranking for the start of the preliminary round.

There were changes to team line-ups with players moving clubs or retiring, plus the addition of new players to the area. These changes and that some teams are in a rebuild phase could have been reflected in the game results.

As a result of grading the premier teams are ranked as follows: 1 Fideliter 1, 2 Onerahi 1, 3 Whangaruru 1, 4 WGHS 1, 5 Manawanui 1, 6 Wahine Toa 1, 7 Wahine Toa 2, 8 Onerahi 2.

After a goal for/against countback, Takahiwai 1 was the team to miss out on premier grade will now grade for a place in premier reserve. There were some close and strongly contested games and towards the end of the day as players became tired, there was a greater gap in some of the scores. Luckily the rain managed to stay away for the day.

There is now a short break before the premier preliminary competition starts officially on April 27. Hour-long premier games will be played on a Friday night indoors at WGHS and Kensington Stadium.

Seniors and Intermediates will start two weeks of grading on April 28 and May 5. Juniors start competition on May 5.