Netball: A huge part of this family's life

By Suzanne McFadden

The Hardcastle family will be everywhere at next week's national netball championships - on court, pacing the sidelines and in the crowd.

The matriarch of the family, Marcia, is coaching the new Auckland Majors team, with her eldest daughter 28-year-old Nadine in the side.

The youngest of the Hardcastle sisters, Rochelle, 25, will turn out for North Harbour.

Yet the most famous sibling, Silver Fern Sonya, will be in the crowd at Palmerston North. The New Zealand players aren't taking an active part in the tournament - they will be in camp gearing up for the world championships next month.

The Ferns have a get-together in Wanganui next week, which includes watching the final day of the national tournament next Saturday.

The three Hardcastle sisters played club netball together - they are all midcourt-attack players - and ran alongside each other in the North Harbour touch team for six years.

Marcia could not be blamed for feeling torn at this tournament - and not just over her daughters' allegiances. While she is coaching the Auckland Majors - who replace West Auckland in the second grade - she works for Netball North Harbour.

North Harbour's side are a cluster of new young names - one of the teams hardest hit by the Silver Ferns' absence. Former Fern Sheryl Clarke has gone to play for the Wellington side.

Auckland, on the other hand, are virtually unchanged from the Diamonds side who made the semifinals of the Coca Cola Cup this year, and should be ranked pre-championship favourites with Waikato.

Auckland have regained the stylish Read sisters, Nicky and Courtney, who helped Manukau into the first grade last year.

Manukau City have reunited the formidable shooting combination of Janine Topia and Karen Wilson, who pushed Auckland to victory in 1995. Temepara George, a former New Zealand midcourter, captains the side.

Waikato have put together a "super team" - under the new regional rules they have taken the best players from the old Waikato, Thames Valley and Midlands regions.

Jenny-May Coffin, dropped from the Silver Ferns for the world championships, teams up with another ex-New Zealand player Tania Nicholson in a very strong line-up guided by Cometz coach Ruth Aitken.

The top three seeds - Otago, Wellington and Southland - have all been stripped of their New Zealand stars and will find it tough living up to their rankings.

Defending champions Otago are missing four Ferns, but still have the strength through court of Jo Steed, Vicki Edward and captain Katie Fay.

Wellington no longer have stalwart Noeline Taurua, who has moved to Rotorua and is not playing in the tournament.

Southland have six players missing from the Sting side who won the Coca Cola Cup, and have a new coach in Jenny Mason.

The Smokefree-sponsored championships have reverted back to a week-long tournament, after last year's attempt to spread it over six weeks didn't work out.

But there will be the same promotion-relegation system - where the bottom four teams in first grade will have to fight to keep their places, up against the top four from second grade.

Canterbury, Hutt Valley, Taranaki and Auckland Majors are the most likely second grade candidates for the play-offs.