Well, its great for any province to win the shield perhaps barring Canterbury and Auckland who have had many shield eras with the log of wood from the 80s to mid-2000s. If Counties beat Hawkes Bay then great but if not -- I'm happy for the shield to generate money and excitement in Hawkes Bay until they lose it. I'm not trying to be negative here but when Nth Harbour (North Shore of Auckland ) won the shield in 06 there was little interest from Harbour fans when the their team defended it briefly. With Counties also being part of South Auckland its possible that their fans wont support them either ( in a big way ) if they are winners.