Manchester Thunder head coach Karen Greig described the format of the Netball Super Cup as a ‘trip back to their youth’.
The new one-day competition will take place on Saturday at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, with eight teams separated into two pools, before successful sides will advance to the semi-final and final.
Following the tournament, Thunder’s Super League campaign will start on Sunday March 16 at the AO Arena against Loughborough Lightning.
And Greig, who has coached the side since 2016, compared the shorter games in the super cup to junior competitions.
She said: “It’ll be like going back to our youth with matches lasting seven minutes each way in tournaments.
“We’ve got to hit the ground running, because there will be no time if you go behind to pull it back.
“We’re going to have to stamp our authority from the first whistle and make sure we mean business from the start.
“Because it is only seven minutes each way, it’s not really reflective of how we would normally play a game of netball.
“But it definitely gives us the insight of our opposition to see where their strength and weaknesses lie.
“So it gives us a really good chance to get video on them and do some analysis, so that when we come to the actual season, we’ve got information on every team.
Manchester Thunder have been drawn in the same pool as London Mavericks, Nottingham Forest and Birmingham Panthers for the standalone competition.
There will be three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss, before the winners of each group advance to face the runners-up from the other pool.
But Amy Carter, who has been named as Thunder’s captain for the upcoming campaign is more focused on the Super League, after an agonising 70-54 defeat in last year’s final to Loughborough Lightning.
She said: “It’s a good opportunity for people to see what the teams are like before the season starts, so I’m really excited for it.
“We’re viewing it as preparation for the Super League season, because you get to experience lots of different teams and see where you stand, then sort out what you need to sort out in that next week.”
