If it goes according to ranking, the Commonwealth Games netball gold medal final will be the 100th test between Australia and New Zealand. Michael Burgess looks at how the Silver Ferns are seeking to bridge the gap with the Diamonds.
It will come down to mental strength and preparation, with maybe some interference from potential demons like health and injury.
It will be the 100th meeting between these two great rivals (Australia 59 wins; New Zealand 38; two draws) and just under half of those matches have been decided by
five goals or less.
In 2010, physically, technically and tactically the nations match up well. The Ferns have traditionally lagged behind in the fitness stakes compared with Australia but they have made great strides in their conditioning over the last two years. Veteran shooter Irene van Dyk says this is the fittest squad she has ever been involved in.
First, of course, they have to get there - Australia are drawn to meet England in the semifinals; while New Zealand should face Jamaica who, with all their players on board, have a fine record in big tournaments.
But, accepting the Anzacs are the two best sides in the world and also accepting that the Australians had the better of the test series this year, how can the Ferns prevail?
Technically there is nothing to separate them. Indeed some would argue that New Zealand's added flair gives them a slight edge. From a strategic and tactical point of view the Australians have never been so familiar; the foes now meet up to five times a year, as well as the regular games in the ANZ Championship.
Ferns centre Temepara George says they are always looking for new tricks; new moves that might give them the edge but generally it comes down to executing standard plays better.
That's what the Ferns are gunning for - preparing themselves mentally and physically for the challenge of meeting the Australians in that final.
Recent concerns over sanitary conditions in Delhi are nothing new for coach Ruth Aitken; for months she has been flagging the fact that, according to statistics, 20 per cent of the team will have health issues in India.
Injuries are always another factor in tournaments - though Delhi at least offers the welcome and unusual respite of a day off between games. Australia has the stronger bench but the differences in depth are subtle.
New Zealand is strong at the defensive end of the court and is well placed if injuries occur in the midcourt area. The attacking end is a different story and the absence of van Dyk, and to a lesser extent Maria Tutaia, would be terminal to the Fern's chances.
Australia has no shooting worries as Plummer is able to call on her 2007 World Championship-winning quartet of Susan Pratley, Sharelle McMahon, Catherine Cox and Natalie Medhurst. But there would be real worries if anything happened to vice-captain and centre Natalie von Bertouch.
Her colleagues in the mid-court - Kimberlee Green (22 caps), Renae Hallinan (18 caps) and Lauren Nourse (16 caps) are definitely more green than gold.
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Past players such as Adine Wilson and Bernice Mene agree that the gold medal will come down to who performs on the day; who wants it more and is able to handle the pressure.
The current team has tried to distance itself from past failings and the well-documented late lapses in big games such as the world championships of 1991, 1999, 2007 and the Commonwealth Games of 1998 and 2002. They insist that this team is different and made of much sterner stuff.
However, the Australians still seem formidable, ooze confidence and have the mentally tough advantage that goes to those who win most of the close encounters over their biggest rivals. The Ferns admit they have not always focused on mental aspects of the game.
"We have always had natural skills and never really have to work so much on the mental thing," reasons wing-attack Liana Barrett-Chase. "But it is something we have really worked on this year - we have upped the ante."
Wing defence Joline Henry feels there could still be some flaws in her team; "There are disparities between individuals in how they approach the game and how well that prepares them for consistency in performance. Some players don't back up [the good performances] as often as they need to which I think comes down to mental preparation."
Defender Katrina Grant admits that the recent Constellation Cup series was a reminder of the intensity required.
"We realised we needed to harden up a little bit," she says. "The game is getting tougher, so training has to."
She describes 'overload' sessions where four or five players go up against three and tough inter-squad battles where no quarter is asked nor given. "We have given each other the permission to go hard on each other."
Aitken has also been using midcourters in the shooting circle to replicate the nippy Australian attackers and has been encouraging her defenders to give the shooters "as much stick as possible".
While it is hard to replicate emotional intensity in training, Aitken says the aim is to "prepare them as much as possible for what they are going into."
When pressed, she says the number one success factor for her team is belief: "We have to believe - in each other, in the seven on the court and the five on the bench - and then we can unleash the talent that is there. We need everyone to create little edges for the full 60 minutes at the intensity required."
That's what it comes down to - little edges. Australia are drilled to the point of perfection. They warm-up together as a team - players looking across the line to their senior teammates who lead the various exercises.
Once the whistle goes, their passing game clicks into action - short, sharp, fast, flat. They traditionally take fewer chances than the Ferns on attack and defence and tend to go for the lower percentage play.
In full flow it is hard to counter - "When that connection is there it is pretty deadly," says Diamonds centre Kim Green. Their style, this 'Australian way' as coach Norma Plummer likes to call it, partly explains their success in the close contests. When the pressure comes on, their method of play is inherently more robust.
George has said previously that the Ferns should not be aiming to imitate the Australians, though they will be aiming to copy their famous composure.
The Ferns do seem to take a more individualised approach. They warm-up separately - each player has her own customised pre-match drills - and on court there is more room for individual flair within the team pattern.
It is higher risk but, as we saw in that emphatic win over the Australians in Wellington [59-40], it can be high reward. That second test showed that the Australians are mortal; George said she could see "panic" on their faces. New Zealand defended well; stopped the passing and ball movement and the Australian machine ground to a halt.
"When we all work as a team and everybody decides to do their job all on the same day the Aussies get rattled - particularly in that midcourt," says Ferns defender Katrina Grant. "If the combinations aren't going well it is hard for them to get their flow."
The Ferns are working on that.
