The gruelling training sessions in the heat chambers with Bob Marley blaring must all seem worth it now that the Silver Ferns are world champions.
With all of Kingston's Independence Stadium behind them, New Zealand put in a stunning performance to beat defending champions Australia 49-47 yesterday.
"It is amazing, just amazing,"
were Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken's first words.
"They just kept on keeping on."
Leading up to the final, it was hard to gauge how the New Zealanders would fare against the mighty Australians, who had won, or shared, eight of the past 10 world championships.
New Zealand had charged through their pool matches unbeaten before trouncing Samoa 81-28 in the quarter-finals and then hometown favourites Jamaica 56-37 in the semifinals.
It was after that semifinal match that the drums starting beating with the realisation that this New Zealand team could be special. However, it was always understood the real test would come when they lined up against the defending champions.
This time New Zealand didn't disappoint and all seven players threw everything they had into the game.
New Zealand goal defence Sheryl Clarke and Australian goal attack Sharelle McMahon were on top of each other throughout, proving that netball's tag as a non-contact sport is long gone.
Clarke's persistency paid off late in the game and her clean intercept in the dying stages more or less cemented the win.
Vilimaina Davu, who has charged through the tournament like a woman possessed, was also on top of her game.
One minute the former Fijian representative just about took McMahon's head off, the next she had acknowledged she was probably a tad too rough on the Aussie and gave her a pat on the back.
Despite her gentle nature, it was clear early on that no one was going to stop Davu from getting her hands on that cup.
The exceptionally fit Lesley Nicol, playing in her 102nd game for New Zealand, put in a gutsy performance, as did captain Anna Rowberry and Temepara Clark in the midcourt, while Belinda Colling and Irene van Dyk performed faultlessly under the hoop.
New Zealand knew they had to deliver and they did.
Going into this tournament no other team were better prepared or more determined than the Silver Ferns, which can be attributed to the work of Aitken, assistant coach Leigh Gibbs and their staff.
This was New Zealand's year.
As Davu put it: "We deserved it and we really wanted it."
