Hockey: Harbour on top but wary of Auckland

North Harbour will be looking for something much better when they square off against Auckland in the first of tomorrow's men's national hockey league semifinals.

Harbour ended round-robin play as top qualifier but were far from convincing in beating lowly Southern 3-1 yesterday.

In direct contrast to last season when they turned it on to win their last round-robin game, the Dave Kosoof side struggled at the National Stadium.

After taking the lead with a fourth minute Lloyd Stephenson stroke, North Harbour did not increase their lead until Shaun Barnett cleaned up after a 58th minute penalty corner had not been cleared.

Southern's Matthew Young scored from open play with three minutes to go only to see Barnett grab his second a minute later.

Auckland scored their fifth win of the season beating fifth-placed Central 4-1 in the last of yesterday's four matches. Mick Wilson's goal kept Central in it at halftime but Auckland pulled away for their expected win.

Three goals in a two-minute burst carried Canterbury clear of Northland. Ahead 5-0 at halftime, Canterbury added only one in the second half as they confirmed their second place.

Wellington snapped their surprise two-match losing streak with a thumping 8-0 win over bottom-placed Midlands. Led by a five-goal haul from Joel Baker, Wellington showed a return to their best and gave a hint they may still be the team to beat.

Australian captain Brent Livermore again provided the spark as the hosts built on their 3-0 halftime lead. Canterbury meet Wellington in tomorrow's late semifinal in what should be a cracker.

The women's playoffs take centre stage today, while off-field, the New Zealand players of the year will be named at a function this afternoon.