Dana Johannsen: Upset would do wonders for Worlds

Silver Ferns' coach Ruth Aitken briefs the tea during a match. Photo / Natalie Slade

The organisers of this year's netball world championships know how to run a tight ship.

The Singapore Indoor Stadium, freshly kitted out in new advertising hoardings, is unusually calm with no need for last minute running repairs.

The media centre is fully functional, and the teams' training venues, transport and accommodation are all reportedly top notch.

Thanks to the fastidious planning of the organising committee, the tournament is ready to go off without a hitch, and has been for some time.

But the success of the event may ultimately be out of the hands of the highly efficient tournament organisers.

For Singapore 2011 to really be remembered as one of the great tournaments there needs to be an upset. A genuine boilover. An out-and-out shock result. A "wow, I did not see that one coming" moment.

But, the way the draw is structured the tournament is shaping up to be as predictable as a Shortland St plotline.

But if you're not up to speed, here's a rundown of what the Silver Ferns have ahead of them next week (spoiler alert).

New Zealand will meet a Fijian team that is somehow ranked number five in the world, Wales (13th) and Trinidad and Tobago (8th) in pool play.

Neither of those teams should come within 30 goals of New Zealand. If they do, chalk it up as a bad day at the office for the Ferns.

They'll then play a quarter-final against South Africa, which will be another walk the park, before taking on England in the first semifinal. Australia meanwhile, after a similarly smooth ride through pool-play and quarters, will face off against Jamaica in the second semi.

The fact that I can write that with confidence three days out from the start of the tournament is a sad indictment on the state of international netball and suggests the format needs to be changed in coming years to ensure a less predictable affair.

For now, those running the international game should keep their fingers crossed for a shock result in the semifinals, lest it be another Australia v New Zealand final.

Since the finals system was introduced to the world championships format in 1991, four of the five title-deciders have been transtasman affairs. The only exception being 1995, when New Zealand missed out on the final in Birmingham after being upstaged by a South African side led by a smiling assassin in red lipstick, Irene van Dyk, in pool play. New Zealand went on to be beaten by Australia in the semifinal.

But since then, normal service has resumed. This repetitive offering has the potential to wear out fans' enthusiasm, and from a commercial perspective, limit sponsorship opportunities and thus the growth of the game.

The international body can take some heart in the improvement of Jamaica and England in recent years. Both sides have been knocking on the door for a while now and there is a very real chance they could topple their more-fancied rivals in the semifinals as both the Ferns and Australia are set to meet their bogey teams.

New Zealand tend to struggle more with the somewhat Australian-influenced English style of play, while the Diamonds can have trouble against the aerial style and unorthodox passing game of the Jamaicans.

For the sake of the international game let's hope we don't see the same old results at this tournament.

Time to take one for the team, Australia.