Netball New Zealand are hoping a new national league that sits bellow the ANZ Championship will help bolster the country's depth of talent.
As well as filling the void between age-group netball and the trans-Tasman champions - the National Netball League is set to create a base for the next generation of Silver Ferns.
"Our best young talent comes out of school into club netball and really only had a one-week national championship to compete in [before] a really big step up to ANZ Championship," Netball New Zealand high performance director Steve Lancaster said.
"We saw the need to create a longitudinal competition for our next best athletes to compete week in and week out."
There's been a clear disparity between Kiwi and Australian sides and the new league has been created to try and bridge the gap.
It's also designed to prepare players for the rigours of international netball.
"This isn't just about growing ANZ players it's about growing and developing the base because we want better Silver Ferns. We want to be more competitive and succeed at the international level as well," Margaret Forster, coach of league team Waikato said.
Those preparing to play in the league which starts on April 10 say it's well overdue.
"We've often found that there's a massive gap between going from college netball, age-group netball, into ANZ Champs so I think this is a pivotal point for young athletes like us to have a feel of what it's like to be exposed on TV and play in high pressure games," Netball Northern shooter Eseta Autagavaia said.
The five national teams will work closely with their corresponding ANZ Championship franchises with each team allowed to use three players who have not played more than 24 quarters in the previous season.
The league is hoped to have an immediate impact, especially after the weekend's pre-season shootout.
"I understand the Mystics had some national league players playing over the weekend. We certainly had one, Ariana Cable Dixon who was our co-captain," Forster said.
"I think the benefits are being seen already."
The true test will be when the ANZ Championship gets underway next week.
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