Otago reached the top eight at the national championships last year but new coach Roy Hawker wants something better.
The signs were good at Timaru when Otago came back from a first-up loss to Tasman, 21-26, to beat Tasman in the final, 33-26.
Last year, Otago was beaten in the semifinal by North Otago.
"We have trained hard and have a solid base of players this year," Hawker said.
A key player in the team is captain Paul Grant. The former New Zealand sevens representative "had a massive impact", Hawker said.
Another important recruit is Brad Webber, who played for Hawkes Bay last year.
Marshall Suckling missed most of this year's club season because of injury but has recovered and his ability to slice through the defence was evident at Timaru.
The star of the Otago team at the weekend was the fleet-footed Tony Ensor who scored nine tries.
'Traditionally, South Island teams don't feature very strongly at the nationals," Hawker said.
"We played well at the weekend and we need to take that same confidence into games against North Island teams."
The New Zealand Sevens tournament will be played at Queenstown on January 7 and 8.
Otago's record
At South Island sevens
• Pool A: Lost to Tasman 21-26, beat Southern 41-0, beat North Otago 36-7.
• Quarterfinal: Beat South Canterbury 38-14.
• Semifinal: Beat Canterbury 45-7.
• Final: Beat Tasman 33-26.
