An AFL-style draft with concessions for the three new clubs joining the five existing franchises in next year's revamped national netball league is considered unlikely, but officials are confident the establishment rules will not lead to the type of competitive mismatches that have blighted the ANZ Championship.
Recruiting policies are yet to be revealed and the status of existing contracts clarified, but imports are again certain to be involved, and possibly at levels above the current cap of one international per team, with leading New Zealand players expected to pursue contracts. 
Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander has long been an advocate for more opportunities for Australian players than the 55 places presently available once imports - often in key shooting and defensive posts - are accounted for.
Netball Australia chief executive Kate Palmer said injuries and retirements this season, the first in the four-year World Cup cycle leading to Liverpool in 2019, had already facilitated more court-time for back-up and developing players who have "been sitting on a bench for five years. So bringing some of our emerging talent through and actually giving them a chance to get on the court and play the game is really important.
"We're obviously recruiting three new teams, so how we go about doing that is going to be complex. But we believe we have the talent and we can have a really competitive eight teams from day one, which is really, really important and we've been working on that for months with our state bodies."
Palmer believes there is scope to eventually expand beyond the foundation teams, with the initial broadcast deal - believed to be with Channel Nine and Telstra - set to run for five years and provide what Palmer calls "significant" benefits to the sport.
"The most critical thing for us at the moment is getting our eight teams in place. We haven't achieved that quite yet, so we've got a bit to go," she said.
"Especially those teams owned by state bodies need to grow and really become more sustainable before we could actually think of expansion, but my view is that absolutely it could grow."
Among the concerns, though, is the prospect the expected introduction of new teams to the Victorian, NSW and Queensland markets could diminish the incumbent Vixens, Swifts and Firebirds.
Palmer insists research has shown there is room for all, and cites such benefits as local rivalries and scope for double-headers.
As for suggestions that netball is not so much going forwards as reverting to the domestic format it abandoned when the trans-Tasman league was formed in 2008, she protested: "Oh no! The world's changed. People have said that to me and I think the budget of the teams in [the old league] might have been $250,000; they're multimillion-dollar businesses now.
"The capability of our team owners is outstanding, the commercial support is incredible and the netball economy has multiplied ??? We are now looking for that same aggressive, innovative approach to growing the game again."
But the losers could well be New Zealand, with Vixens goal shooter Karyn Bailey expressing a common fear that standards across the Tasman could slip without regular exposure to strong Australian opposition.
There is also the danger that what is expected to be a six-team Kiwi league will be robbed of many of its marquee names, with some calls for only players competing domestically to be eligible for Silver Ferns selection.
"I guess you can look at it from both sides," Bailey said. "I think it's great that you're getting the growth in the sport that we need if we are going to be considered professional athletes, but it is sad if we do drop New Zealand because I do feel like they may somewhat go backwards.
"Australia has been so predominant and so strong for so many years that I guess we do have to look after what's going to make us stronger and better as a country, as well."
Talent would not be an issue, insisted Bailey, whose team meets the Swifts at Hisense Arena on Sunday.
"You look at all the depth that we have on our bench and NSW have on their bench, and these are players that week in, week out do all the hard work, and sometimes these up-and-coming stars don't get those opportunities.
"We don't have enough teams that can field all of that depth, so I really think that it will be a really competitive league, which for broadcasters will be fantastic."