KEY POINTS:
Australia's netball stars were signing autographs and shooting hoops in the streets of Melbourne yesterday, while across town the Silver Ferns were heads down, deep in training.
To their campaign mantra of "Go Aussie, Go", the world No 2 side received a farewell in Federation Square fit for
world champions; while the real titleholders were going through their drills in a Melbourne university gym.
Although New Zealand assistant coach Leigh Gibbs joked she would have liked to have been "waving Silver Ferns flags from the back of the crowd", the team carried on training, halfway through their lightning four-day camp across the Tasman a fortnight out from the Auckland world tournament.
The Ferns had already played a fast and physical match against the Victorian men's side the night before, and were preparing for last night's game with the Melbourne Central women's side.
In the Australian media, Australian coach Norma Plummer questioned why the Silver Ferns would come to Melbourne for a pre-tournament camp, and whether it was a tactic against the Australians.
Gibbs spelled it out: "We go where we can get tough competition that exposes the little things in our game that need exposing. And it's good to get away when the world championships are in our home country."
The Victorian men have traditionally provided the Ferns with gritty, fast-paced games in the past, their quick-footed shooters reminiscent of Australia's acute goal attack Sharelle McMahon.
Australia were to play them last night, and while Plummer said the men would be "reporting back" to her on the Ferns' game plans, Gibbs was assured it wouldn't happen.
"The men certainly indicated they wouldn't, and equally we wouldn't ask them about the Australians ... we can only control the controllables, and the benefits of playing them outweigh the negatives."
The benefits were many, Gibbs said, as the Ferns came to grips with the speed and intensity of men's netball, and took some time to get into a rhythm (the score wasn't revealed). The Ferns were looking forward to "a second crack" at the Victorians tonight before returning home.
Captain Adine Wilson and Jodi Te Huna did not arrive in Australia until the morning of the game after bad weather in Dunedin cancelled their flights. Te Huna could be forgiven for pre-match nerves - she wrecked her knee against the Victorian men on the eve of last year's Commonwealth Games. This time, there were no injuries.
Midcourter Laura Langman continues to heal and strengthen the stress fracture in her foot with two weeks until the opening match against Malawi on November 10.
Langman travelled with the team to Melbourne, and has kept up her daily bike and pool regime, but found it "incredibly frustrating" on the bench, Gibbs said.
"But she's been immersed in netball thinking, and she's got good value out of that."
