By Roy Ward
At it's heart, Fast 5 netball is still a fiercely contested international tournament.
In netball, international events are still rare so despite all the bells, dancing and whistles, winning this weekend's six-nation competition is paramount for all and especially for Australia.
Australian Fast 5 netballers Gretel Tippett (left) and Kate Moloney with He's Our Rokkii, which will be running on Derby Day.Credit: Paul Jeffers
Melbourne's Hisense Arena will become the first Australian venue to host the Fast 5 World Series which has drawn in big crowds overseas in past years before it took a one-year break in 2015 due to the Netball World Cup.
Fast 5 is netball's answer to Twenty20 cricket, although it more closely resembles a rugby sevens tournament with the six countries playing five shortened games over two days before the top two teams play off in the final on Sunday night while the rest play for placings.
Organisers hope to feed on the celebratory aspects of the Melbourne Cup weekend and draw in big crowds to Saturday and Sunday's sessions.
Aside from fielding five players instead of the regular seven, the scoring in Fast 5 is ramped up with two and three-point shots available and each team having a powerplay quarter where goals are worth double.
Australia and New Zealand will start as favourites and they play in the last game of Saturday's session, but as Australian centre Kate Moloney pointed out the format gives smaller nations such as Jamaica and Malawi every chance to cause upsets.
"You still have that massive rivalry but you have the six best countries and I can't wait to play them all," Moloney said.
"It's so close between all the countries, including Malawi and Jamaica, it's going to be a tough weekend."
Just last week the Diamonds and Silver Ferns were playing full test matches so stars such as Gretel Tippett (Australia) and Maria Tutaia (New Zealand) have had to make the mental change to Fast 5 this week.
"We haven't had much time to practice because of the turnaround from the Constellation Cup but we have two practices and then a walk through. We have crammed a lot of work into those sessions," Tippett said.
For a shooter like Tippett, adjusting her decision-making between when to take three or two-point shots is perhaps the biggest challenge presented in Fast 5.
As a former WNBL basketballer, one could think it's an easy adjustment but Tippett said that's far from true.
"Even thought it's sort of similar to basketball there is still a fair bit of difference," Tippett said.
"No backboard makes a difference in shooting.
"It's hard to work out when to take the easy shot or the three-pointer – whether we have a rebounder there is part of that so if it does go off line then someone is there. It's about picking your moment.
"I put a lot of shots up last time and I think I only got one in so I hope I can shoot a better percentage."
Moloney, who usually plays wing defence with the Melbourne Vixens, will have to adjust to the centre role in Fast 5 and after not being involved in the Constellation Cup she is proud to be back in Australian colours.
"The girls who have been playing will get a nice break after this but for me it's a nice lead into Vixens' pre-season training which starts on November 2," Moloney said.
"I was lucky enough to play in the 2014 Fast 5 where we didn't quite get across the line and New Zealand won. We will be going out there to win and take out that grand final."
The tournament starts on Saturday at Hisense Arena at 1.45pm. Sunday's session starts at 12.15pm.