David Leggat: Golden secret - avoid those Aussies

New Zealand will need to get a hurry along if they are to get close to the pre-Commonwealth Games target of breaking the 40-medal mark.

Before last night's finals, New Zealand had won 11 medals, of which the golds have come from 200m butterfly swimmer Moss Burmester and the rugby sevens team.

There have been three silver - cyclist Hayden Roulston and triathletes Sam Warriner and Bevan Docherty - and seven bronze.

Two came in the pool on Saturday night through backstroker Cameron Gibson and the women's 4 x 200m freestyle relay team; another was a minor surprise, Juliet Etherington and Kathryn Mead in the women's prone rifle; the cycling pursuit team; Canadian-based Dunedin synchonised swim sisters Nina and Lisa Daniels; and triathlete Andrea Hewitt, who was part of a fine 2-3-4 finish for New Zealand behind world champion Emma Snowsill.

And that's part of New Zealand's problem.

All three silver medallists were beaten by Aussies, so here's one easy solution: look for events Australia aren't involved in, the snag there is there aren't many of them.

There have been those who were tipped to medal and haven't. The shooting group as a whole have been disappointing - in many pairs events, one has shot well, the other has not - and backstroker Hannah McLean was on track for at least bronze before tying up in the closing stages of the final of her strong event, the 100m.

Government funding agency Sparc had 40 as its benchmark but hope for about 46. Chief executive Nick Hill told the Herald people would be entitled to ask tough questions if the number finished below 40.

There's a temptation to take a punt that they're going to end up well short of 40.

But funny things happen in the second week of a Games. There is room for a late rails run.

So what do the next seven days of competition hold?

First the bankers. New Zealand are shots on to win gold in the women's discus and shot put, through Beatrice Faumuina, chasing a third straight Games title, and Valerie Vili, who is third in the world and the hottest of favourites.

The Silver Ferns are favourites to beat Australia in next Sunday's marquee final-day event.

Then there's Sarah Ulmer, who has the class to be a gold medallist in either the individual time trial or road race; Shelley Kitchen and Tamsyn Leevey are world doubles squash champions and world scratch champion Greg Henderson must be a chance for Sunday's road race.

There are others where something would need to go drastically wrong for them to miss a medal of a lesser hue, such as the two basketball teams.

As for those who should be right in the frame for a medal, think of the women's Black Sticks, who are on track for at least bronze, javelin thrower Stuart Farquhar, the badminton team, plus world champion mixed doubles bronze medallists Dan Shirley and Sara Runesten Petersen, 1500m runner Nick Willis and bowlers Rowan Brassey and Nick Hill, with singles players Russell Meyer and Jo Edwards.

And finally, there's the most intriguing element: those who come through from nowhere to get on the dais.

The people with the sporting funds chequebook will watch the next few days with interest.

There have been suggestions from the shooting camp that they have been uncomfortable with the pressure of expectation.

Tough. That's what top-level sport is all about. Sparc had hoped shooting would return 12 medals, and top New Zealand's individual sporting count.

There are three Australian newspapers available for daily perusal in Melbourne. Their pages are awash with stories of green and gold glory, even glory in defeat.

You only need one to get a general theme of how the hosts view their efforts at the Games, which basically translates to "we're pretty good".

Fair enough, because they are. Before last night's finals, Australians had won 61 medals, 26 of them gold, well clear of England on 32.

The Aussies will head the medal chart at the end of this week, but the big talk before the opening ceremony of sailing past 200 might be pushing it a bit.