KEY POINTS:
The ANZ Championship organisers couldn't have wished for a more exciting conclusion to the opening season.
After 13 rounds of intense competition, the make-up and positioning within the top four will not be known until the final game of the final round.
Such is the tightness of the
race for a semifinal spot, the goal differential column in the standings has been stretched out to two decimal places.
With several pieces of the play-off puzzle to come together over the weekend, here is the scenario facing each of the semifinal contenders:
WAIKATO/BOP MAGIC
Position: 1 (18 points, goal difference 111.35 per cent )
Round 14 opposition: Canterbury Tactix _ today 2.30pm in Hamilton. The equation: The Magic's stronghold at the top of the table is looking a little vulnerable after letting a four-point buffer over the rest of the competition evaporate in recent weeks.
The Waikato side are guaranteed a place in the semifinals but their hopes of being the inaugural title holders rest to a great extent on being able secure the number one spot which will ensure the all-important home advantage.
The Magic are in a head-to-head race with the NSW Swifts for the number one seeding. With just half a percentage in goal difference separating the two sides, both will be looking to secure big wins this weekend.
But with two losses in the past three weeks, Magic coach Noeline Taurua said the major concern for her side will be getting the two points rather than worrying about scorelines.
The Tactix will be desperate to finish their season on a more palatable note and have already proven this season they can foot it with the Magic.
"We know it's going to be a tough game because the Tactix will really want to finish off strongly, so if we go out there chasing targets we're getting way too ahead of ourselves," she said.
NSW SWIFTS
Position: 2 (18 points, goal difference 110.87 per cent)
Round 14 opposition: West Coast Fever _ Monday 10pm in Perth.
The equation: The odds on the Swifts lifting the ANZ Championship trophy have shortened markedly over the last couple of weeks and they now look to be in the box seat to claim the number one seeding with a seventh straight win.
Having knocked over fellow top-four sides the Thunderbirds and the Vixens by convincing margins in the past couple of weeks, the Fever should be a relatively straightforward proposition for the NSW side.
With the Magic playing first over the weekend, by the time the Swifts hit the court on Monday they will know exactly how much they need to win by to finish top of the table.
But Swifts captain Catherine Cox said her side leave the number crunching to everyone else.
"We're not going to try and chase targets or anything. We'd just like to win this game. We know Perth are a really tough side," the Australian international said.
ADELAIDE T'BIRDS
Position: 3 (16 points, goal difference 111.56 per cent)
Round 14 opposition: Central Pulse _ Monday 7pm in Napier
The equation: Given the strength of their final-round opposition, the Thunderbirds can also consider their place in the semifinals pretty much set in stone. Even if the Pulse were able to get up for an unlikely upset, the Thunderbirds would probably still maintain their place in the top four by virtue of their superior goal differential.
Despite an up-and-down season, the Thunderbirds look to have come into their own last week with a 19-goal win over the Queensland Firebirds.
But Monday's mismatch against the Pulse is unlikely to give a true indication of just where the Adelaide side sit heading in to the play-offs.
The Pulse may be on the verge of completing a winless season, but Pulse coach Kate Carpenter remains optimistic about her side's chances on Monday.
"We don't ever go in to a match conceding it. We've had another week of preparation, another week of learning and another week to get it right."MELBOURNE VIXENSPosition: 4 (16 points, goal difference 107.68 per cent)
Round 14 opposition: Northern Mystics _ Sunday 3:30pm in Melbourne
The equation: Of all the top four sides, the Vixens have arguably the toughest final round assignment against late bloomers the Northern Mystics, who are seeking to become the only Kiwi side to win on Australian soil this year.
The Vixens are looking a little vulnerable without midcourt hero Natasha Chokljat, who suffered a knee injury early on in last week's match against the Swifts. Without Chokljat the Vixens may find it tough to contain Mystics linchpin Temepara George.
Q'LAND FIREBIRDS
Position: 5 (14 points, goal difference 108.46)
Round 14 opposition: Southern Steel _ Sunday 5:30pm in Dunedin
The equation: The Firebirds lost control of their own semifinals destiny with last weekend's loss to the Thunderbirds. They need to win this weekend and rely on either the Vixens or Thunderbirds faltering to make it beyond the regular season.
The Steel will fancy their chances of an upset, already having claimed the scalp of the Vixens at home and will be supremely confident after their win over the Magic in round 13.
The Firebirds struggled to adjust to the umpiring in their last jaunt across the Tasman and will need to be more disciplined on defence if they are to make the top four.
