Netball: Dame tells team to keep eye on the ball

Dame Lois Muir is attending her 11th World Championships. Photo / NZ Herald

It is fair to say Dame Lois Muir knows a thing or two about netball world championships.

As a young defender, she went to the first tournament in 1963 in Eastbourne, England, and has been to nine championships since - next week in Singapore will be her 11th.

She coached the Silver Ferns at four of those, winning twice - jointly in 1979 with Australia and Trinidad and Tobago, and outright champions in 1987. And since stepping down from the Ferns role in 1988 she has continued to go every year in various roles as coaching director, team mentor and most recently as president of Netball New Zealand.

"I'm very lucky, I'm just one of the cogs in the machine and my little cog has been able to fit in quite a few spaces over the years," said Dame Lois.

"I'm now at the wheel-out stage; I put medals around players' necks and hand out certificates - I love it!"

Wheel-out stage or not, there is arguably nobody more qualified to assess the Silver Ferns' prospects in Singapore.

And New Zealand fans will be pleased to know Dame Lois rates the Ferns "an exceptional chance" of claiming this year's title - with a few caveats attached.

The key to winning a world championship, according to Dame Lois, is preparation. When the competition is as tight as it is among the top four, it is attention to detail that wins trophies.

"The world championships are different altogether; it's about running a total race. It's keeping everyone fit and making sure you've planned for everything so there are no hiccups along the way," she said.

Dame Lois said players gain confidence in knowing they have "dotted their i's and crossed their t's" and she believed that was an important factor in her team's win in the 1987 world championships.

"They were at peace with themselves because they knew they had done the work. This New Zealand team has done a lot of work, a lot of preparation, but I think the standard has got higher as well - the competition is really tough," she said.

"You've got to remember now every country is improving all the time and people are putting more money into it. So it was a bit easier to sneak up on people before."

But she said while New Zealand won't have the element of surprise, they have the experience, court smarts and raw talent to get the job done.

Dame Lois does worry, however, there is an over-reliance on the starting line, particularly in the attack end where the Ferns lack genuine back-up options to shooters Irene van Dyk and Maria Tutaia.

"I think the younger ones just need to step up a bit more. They're inclined to go out there and think 'oh I'm just a bit player' and let the others do the work for them."

And the biggest threat to the Ferns' world title hopes? "Complacency. New Zealanders now expect us to be in the final - it's not our right to be there.

"Don't be fooled, England and Jamaica will be gunning for that trophy."