Dalefield have appointed a high-profile coach for their premier men's hockey side but whether former Black Stick Greg Clarke will ever get the chance to put them through their paces is open to debate.
The problem is: if Dalefield are to continue in Wellington's top league they need to know they have a full complement of players on hand, and that is still unclear.
Club captain Murray Nielsen admits time is running out for the team to prove they can come up with enough players capable of competing in one of the country's toughest club competitions.
"It's getting very close to the point where we have to say a definite yes or no, we have to act quickly," he said, adding that a reasonable number of local players (13) had already indicated they were prepared to make themselves available and there were about eight or nine more who were thinking about it.
Adding to the need for a quick decision was that if it was favourable, a series of fundraisers would need to be organised with the naming rights for the team the big drawcard.