KEY POINTS:
From the moment the All Blacks were eliminated from their World Cup, I've hardly been able to stick my foot out the front door without people asking me if we are going to win the netball.
The netball World Championships will be a very exciting time for the
country - people love watching the game. And these championships are more than just a showdown between Australia and New Zealand because England and Jamaica represent very real threats for the title, unlike at past tournaments.
What people may forget though is how intense, and quick, the Championships are. For the two teams who make the final it's a case of six games in eight days. The teams are also committed to the 12 players they name at the start of the Championships, which means there is no home advantage for New Zealand in being able to quickly call up replacements.
Managing the whole campaign is the key and while you could be lucky and succeed by using the same seven players through the whole tournament, that policy also carries risks.
You need to have fallbacks in key positions - namely shooting, defence and midfield - in case of injuries. You also need all the players to have a sound knowledge of the game plan, so it is not just about throwing people on to the court for a bit of a run.
Many people probably believe that Australia have got the edge at this point because they have turned the tide back in their favour over recent test matches.
But test series are a different matter, where you have a few days between matches, there is time to re-evaluate your approach, and you can bring players in and out. None of this happens at a world championship.
Teams must keep focused on their game plan and not become distracted against lesser-ranked opposition. That is the way to succeed.
Any team that becomes predictable has a problem because the other teams can see your game. When you are playing every day, you are inclined to wheel out the same game whereas some variety is very important.
Australia believe they have the edge on recent results, which may be good for the Silver Ferns because we prefer to be the underdogs.
This is the first time that we've played Australia in a series in the same year as a world championship and the New Zealand side has done a lot of hard work in evaluating itself.
Without making excuses, I don't think our team was all that well set when it played Australia this year. And the players were still in a national league mindset when they went to England. So we'll see if all the hard work which has been put in pays off at the world tournament.
The Silver Ferns have been on an intensive programme including camps every second weekend and playing against men's teams. They've hardened up as a team and individually, and built a greater on-court understanding.
Australia and New Zealand have a good blend of experience and youth. The older players, such as Irene van Dyk, Julie Seymour and Australians Liz Ellis and Sharelle McMahon, are the ones who never let you down.
But youth is unpredictable and unreadable and it is often the younger players' influence which turns teams into winners.
They make sure that everyone lifts their game. To win a world championship, you have to be improving and going forward in every game. That brings us to England and Jamaica. If the tournament goes with most people's predictions, New Zealand will play Jamaica in the semifinals, and Australia will face England.
England have grown mentally tough - they have Australian Marg Caldow coaching them - and don't fold the way they used to. They also have the talent, and a lot of experience.
The Jamaicans like to pick a target and they will be going all out to beat the Silver Ferns. The Jamaicans have athletes who are on American basketball contracts who they will pull back for this tournament.
Combination-wise, this won't bother them because they play a loose, unpredictable style. They often play from behind the ball. They are relaxed and unorthodox, and very hard to play against. They have arms that unwind like springs and are always very elevated - they only need to get a sniff of a win and they are hard to handle.
There will be other very interesting teams at the championships with their various styles of playing the game, including Fiji, Malawi and Singapore. But I don't think they will be able to challenge the big four.
So as with the rugby, it is not the New Zealand public's right to expect the Silver Ferns to be in the final. You have to work for it. As for home advantage - I don't believe there is such a thing. The modern player knows how to turn hostile situations to their advantage so it doesn't matter who the crowd is screaming for.
There will be other variables such as the umpiring. I am a wholehearted supporter of neutral umpires even though it means you sometimes see people in charge of games who are struggling with the standard and pace of the game.
In the World Championships, the best umpires will rise to the top and be selected for the big games, the important thing is for teams to react to each umpire's rulings.
So these are exciting times for netball. Skill levels have got more and more intense and players have to be so quick in reading what others are doing and in letting the ball go. That's what the public loves.
The games can turn so quickly. New Zealand television leads the world in its coverage of the game and the camera people are still working on getting better and better. But nothing beats experiencing the game live so I'd say to people, give it a whirl.
I think all sports fans want to see competitive hard-fought games with lots of skill. Sure, New Zealand will want the Silver Ferns to win but people will forgive them if they don't so long as they have seen a thrilling contest full of skill and the players have put their bodies on the line. I'm sure that the Silver Ferns will wheel out their A-game on the days when it matters.
* Lois Muir is a double world title-winning Silver Ferns coach and the current president of Netball New Zealand