Champs to start as the underdogs

Wairarapa might be the defending champions but they will have the underdog label when they take on Naenae Collegians in a regional superleague netball match at the Genesis recreation Centre in Masterton tonight.
Naenae Collegians are the Hutt Valley champions and gave a good indication of their strength with a whopping 63-30 win over Maidstone United last weekend.
Wairarapa, on the other hand, started well enough against Norths of Kapi Mana, but lost the plot in the second quarter and finished up on the end of a 64-48 beating.
To upset Naenae Collegians, the defensive work of Wairarapa right through the court will need to be considerably more intense than it was seven days ago.
Then they allowed Norths too much leeway when they were in possession, with the result that their goal shoot, who has played for Wellington B, had a field day.
Naenae Collegians will be as equally as strong as Norths in the shooting area, which means the onus will be on Wairarapa to place sustained pressure on them right from the word go.
As coach Marion Tulloch says they need to get in the faces of their opposition and do everything possible to force them into errors.
It is a pity for Wairarapa's sake that experienced defender Sarah Brooking will again be sidelined. She is a player who relishes a challenge, and her confrontational style of play would have been valuable in tonight's contest.
Good news for Wairarapa though is that talented midcourter Harriet Somerville is likely to make her first appearance, after missing the first two games through injury. Somerville has both the height and agility to make a big impact on both defence and attack, and it will be interesting to see whether she is part of the starting line-up or comes off the reserve bench.
Another newcomer in the midcourt area for Wairarapa is Wairarapa College's Caitlin Berry, who has come into the squad through the unavailability of Jamie Reiri.
Berry is a member of a well-known Wairarapa sporting family, especially prominent in rugby, and her athleticism could come in handy against a Naenae Collegians side likely to play the game at pace.
Vital to the Wairarapa cause too could be the skills of utility player Perri Tatana who was one of the standouts against Norths. She was at wing defence there and impressed with the timing and accuracy of her passing.
Wairarapa would have taken confidence too from the success rate of shooters Geraldine Carroll and Lorraine Maloney in the Norths match with captain Carroll making every shot of hers count over the first three-quarters of the game.
If she can repeat that sort of form tonight and the defensive work of her team comes up to scratch then a Wairarapa upset is by no means out of the question.