KEY POINTS:
Adversity has stalked the Silver Ferns for the past few months, but it may have been an unlikely ally.
For all the Ferns have been through - with injury and losses on and off court - former New Zealand defender and world champion Tracey Fear believes it may
have made a stronger, more resilient side to retain their world title starting next week.
Every one of the top four contenders at this year's world championships has suffered a setback of some kind in the past six months.
The Australians were without tenacious defender Mo'onia Gerrard, nursing a calf strain for the series against the Ferns and Jamaica; after four years training, England lost shooter Rachel Dunn with a cruel knee injury only weeks ago. The Jamaicans suffered record-sized losses to New Zealand and England in their build-up.
But the world champions' list of obstacles has been longer and the hurdles higher.
"They've dealt with a huge amount of challenges over the last six months," says Fear, now Netball New Zealand's high performance director.
"They didn't have the success against Australia they would've hope to have had. They had to deal with the unavailability of Bubs [Temepara George] late in the piece, and they coped with that. And now there is Laura Langman's injury.
"But I think, if anything, those challenges have helped us to be resilient. Not just the players, but the management too. Now it's like, 'right, what else can you throw at us?'. Not all challenges are bad, and the Silver Ferns are a better unit because of them."
The Ferns cannot deny they lost a decent chunk of experience and on-court insight with a wave of retirements after last year's Commonwealth Games victory. They lost another degree of leadership and midcourt savvy with the withdrawal of George (who could still make a return to the side if Langman is not fit to play).
But in their absence, others have stepped up to the mark. Players such as shooters Jodi Te Huna and Maria Tutaia, Langman at centre and Casey Williams in defence have come off the bench to assertively take their place in the Ferns' front line.
Fear believes that if Langman's fractured foot has healed enough for her to play in the next fortnight, it will be a refreshed and determined Langman that we see on court.
Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken and assistant Leigh Gibbs are confident the team are as mentally and physically strong as they can be going into this final week. The fortnightly camps over the last 10 weeks have seen the team advance in bounds, Aitken says.
"They're a blimmin' tough lot and they've really developed those links on court," she said.
The players, too, say they're ready for what lies ahead, especially after their last camp in Melbourne a week ago.
"There are not so many questions in people's heads now," says Williams. "We've sorted most of the game strategies now, so that when we go into camp on Sunday, we can just go over it all. All the work's been done."
Sorting out on-court combinations was one of the obvious tasks Aitken and Gibbs faced after their 1-3 series record to their best yardstick, Australia, in July.
If Langman is forced out, they will need to take another look at the midcourt. George may not be the first choice replacement, as she has not played netball for three months. The other option is Sting midcourter Liana Barrett-Chase, whose international experience extends to the New Zealand under-21s.
Over the next week, they will no doubt weigh up the form of their shooters - in particular contenders for goal attack. Te Huna is the more experienced and secure choice, while 20-year-old Tutaia is more difficult for defenders to read, with a stunning shot from any range. Teenager Paula Griffin should get game time in pool play.
Form will be measured during in-house games over the week, with other national squad members called in to make up numbers. There will be no warm-up games against other nations.
From experience, Fear knows the Ferns will be a bundle of excitement and nerves going into camp on Auckland's North Shore tomorrow.
"They should see playing world champs at home as a real plus. They have the power of the whole country behind them," Fear said. "And they've never lost a test at the Trusts Stadium.
"They just need to rest now, and get some sleep credits up - there will be some long days and nights. In 1987, we had 10 days together before, so we were well and truly ready to be unleashed on the world champs. It's similar this time. In the last camp in Australia, the players were outstanding in their last game against the Victorian men - so their confidence will be high.
"This team is definitely right up there with the great New Zealand netball teams. We were a very together group in 87, it was a real strength of the 2003 team, and you can see it in this team too."
