Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken will have her fingers crossed that the National Bank Cup produces some exciting new shooters as the New Zealand team builds towards next year's Commonwealth Games.
The Silver Ferns completed a clean sweep over England here on Saturday night, finishing the series with a scratchy 55-40 win.
Although the series will not go down as one of the Silver Ferns' greatest, it had the desired effect in that it enabled Aitken to trial some different combinations on court.
Defenders Joline Henry and Anna Scarlett both added to their test caps, and young Waikato midcourter Laura Langman, who made her debut in the first test, showed she was more than ready for the step up to international netball.
With veterans Anna Rowberry and Lesley Rumball returning to the mix, competition for midcourt and defence positions will be tough as Aitken looks to select firstly a side to take on Australia in June and October and then the team for next March's Commonwealth Games.
However, the lack of depth in the shooting circle must be a worry for Aitken. While Australia have four or five shooters they can call on, New Zealand still rely heavily on Irene van Dyk.
"I guess as an outsider coming in, if you took Irene out of the calculations it appears New Zealand doesn't have a great deal there in the shooting at all," England coach Marg Caldow observed.
"Which is not much different to other places in the world, other than Australia, who have tremendous depth and always have had great depth in shooting.
"I guess from Ruth's point of view that must be a little bit of a concern down the track especially if something happens to Irene and she ever gets injured."
Although van Dyk never seems to break down, the increased physical nature of the game means her chances of suffering an injury must also increase.
New Zealand have been dealt blows in the shooting circle in the past year, losing Tania Dalton, Belinda Colling and Donna Loffhagen. There is a possibility that Colling, who is expecting her first child in May, and Dalton, who underwent knee surgery and had a baby last year, will return to the fray.
In the meantime New Zealand's hopes lie with van Dyk and Jodi Te Huna.
After a shaky start, Te Huna improved as the series progressed and by the time she hit Invercargill was moving a lot better and put up 27 of New Zealand's 67 attempts at goal.
The England side left New Zealand yesterday with plenty to work on in their build-up to the Games.
After their devastating 44-goal loss in the second test, England produced a much better performance in the last test, spurred on by the return of captain Olivia Murphy.
They were much stronger defensively through the court and defenders Geva Mentor and Sonia Mkoloma were a lot more controlled.
"I think the game showed that we are capable of it," Caldow said. "We still have a few top line players to come into our lineup and when they come into the calculations, I think people may sit up and take a closer look at England in the future."
Netball: Depth needed in shooting circle
Silver Fern Jodi Te Huna secures the ball ahead of England's Geva Mantor in the test match at Invercargill, on Saturday. Picture / Fotopress
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