KEY POINTS:
Rough edges were the order of the day when Caroline Ah Chong was learning about the game she loves in her native Samoa.
Ah Chong even recalls that as a kid, she and her mates played netball on grass courts. They played in all weathers, which meant sliding
around as if it was a rugby game on wet days.
Later, they played on concrete courts and in a gymnasium where the floorboards were "falling apart".
When asked for quirky memories of playing for Samoa, she recalls the players' apparel for the 2003 South Pacific Games in Fiji.
"We didn't have people like adidas sponsoring us and our dresses had to be sewn from ordinary material," says Ah Chong, who lives in Auckland these days and plays premier club netball for Panmure.
"We had a designer in Samoa, and a local person made them for us. They weren't too bad but they were uncomfortable to play in - the sweat made them cling to you.
"Little things like that make you appreciate what we have now."
The dresses weren't the only home-grown aspect to playing for Samoa.
So was the fundraising.
Car washes, raffles, radiothons were all part of the deal, although conditions and standards weren't quite as bad as some may have believed.
"A couple of New Zealand-based girls flew over for trials before the 1996 under-21 World Cup and after the match we had a de-brief," says Ah Chong, who works as a brand manager for ACP magazines.
"One of the New Zealand-based players who had never been to Samoa before said ' my gosh, I thought you girls played really well - I was surprised because I thought you would be playing with no shoes on and wouldn't be able to catch the ball."'
Samoa has a recently opened netball centre with covered courts and there are promising developments especially in funding although they are not ready to challenge the big guns at the world championships.
The 27-year-old Ah Chong is one of four sisters whose mother was a former netball player. One sister, Alexandria, has also been in the Samoan squad.
Ah Chong, who moved to New Zealand as a 19-year-old to study, says that while bringing the Samoan team together has been tough, they have achieved plenty.
The squad, coached by former Silver Fern Linda Vagana, includes players from Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland and Palmerston North plus two from Samoa. They will be looking to build on a sixth placing at the last World Championships, and a Commonwealth Games fifth.
"The profile for the sport in Samoa has come a long way since I started playing and we've got a lot of sponsors on board now," says Ah Chong.
"The sport is huge in Samoa and the major sport for females, but they don't have regular competitions like here and the club season only goes for a couple of months.
"We don't have regular test matches - the last test we played was against Singapore in May. You might be lucky to get one test a year apart from the South Pacific Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships.
"It has been difficult with players scattered all over the place but I've been to Samoa five times this year for camps and the squad has been able to train together for the past year or so.
"I'm passionate about netball and the camps have been great. It's an opportunity for us to get away from what we do here, our jobs and whatever else we are involved in with our everyday lives, and focus specifically on netball for a few days."
It has meant plenty of sacrifices though, including taking eight weeks of mainly unpaid leave for the training camps, South Pacific Games and world tournament.
"There are sacrifices all right and I'm lucky I have an understanding partner," says Ah Chong, whose boyfriend Brendan Douglas is a forward with league club Glenora.
The Samoans, who will have plenty of support in Auckland, have been thrown in the deep end with an opening match against Australia.
It is a massive step up for someone like Ah Chong. She played a quarter against Australia at the last World Championships, when the Samoans were beaten 76-27. Her memories of that game, and who she marked, are murky.
"We will continue to play the traditional Samoan way, with short sharp passes, whereas the Aussie style is the long game. We will try to use our speed to our advantage," says Ah Chong, who plays wing and goal attack.
"Our preparations are a bit different from the Silver Ferns. We have two coaches, a manager and a physio whereas I'm sure they have a nutritionist, a masseuse, probably five physios, probably a lot of mentors ...
"But I'm sure we've prepared as much as we can. We have a great chance of making the quarters. You set aims for each game and play your best every quarter, and hope to score from very centre pass.
"In a tournament like this you have to be very disciplined.
"But the standard of netball in New Zealand is on a par with the international arena.
"You put your bib on and give it your best shot."
