KEY POINTS:
In a parallel universe, the Silver Ferns would be in balmy Fiji right now, only days away from defending their world title.
But Commodore Frank Bainimarama and his coup put paid to that, and today the Ferns are shivering in a Kiwi winter, waiting for the Jamaicans to
bring their sunshine next week.
Jamaican netball's "Sunshine Girls" couldn't get down to the Southern Hemisphere chill soon enough. They've been starved of international netball for eight months, and the deferred world championships, now of course in Auckland, are only four months away.
There's no better way to stretch their impossibly long legs than against the world's top two nations. The Jamaicans played their first of two tests against Australia in Melbourne late last night, and will meet the Silver Ferns in Christchurch and Auckland next week.
Ranked No 3 in the world from their last world championship performance, Jamaica have always been physical and aerial, and give their opponents an exhausting and bruising 60 minutes of netball. They drew with the Australians at last year's Commonwealth Games.
But this time round, they promise something a little different in their style. It may be a melding of their big lobbing game, with the fast, flat approach of the Aussies.
If there is a discernable leap forward in the way they attack, it can be put down to the brilliance of former Australian coach Jill McIntosh.
McIntosh has been working with the Sunshine Girls as a coaching consultant for the past month alongside Jamaican coach, Connie Francis.
Francis honed her coaching skills at the Australian Institute of Sport, and knows the Ferns' style well - she played against them for 17 years.
Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken flew to Melbourne to watch last night's test.
And while the Ferns will play both sides in five tests over the next fortnight, her initial focus was on the Caribbeans.
"I think Jamaica will be a really interesting lot. I can't wait to see the effect Jill McIntosh has had on them," Aitken said before leaving. "We're really lucky we get this opportunity to have a good look at them before the world champs."
Aitken expects McIntosh will have instilled more stability in the Jamaican game, which is often prone to lapses of discipline.
"They can be brilliant one minute and then throw the ball away the next," Aitken says.
In that light, she expects the Jamaicans will play the ball to the circle edge - instead of their trademark pitches into the shooters from anywhere in the midcourt - and then "pop it up to their giants".
Those giants have been alarmingly accurate under the hoop for years - as long as they get the ball. Perennial shooter Elaine Davis, who's been on the international scene since the 1995 world championships in Birmingham, returns as captain of the side, with her long-time goal attack sidekick, Simone Forbes.
But the one to watch is 18-year-old goal shoot Romelda Aiken, who's a whopping 1.96m tall and starred in Jamaica's last series, against Trinidad and Tobago in November. They've also added basketballer Christina Solmon, who's just turned 16, to the mix.
Aitken believes she has the right defence combination in the lanky Leana de Bruin and Casey Williams.
On attack, the Ferns will need to hold their ground against the sometimes raw defence of the Jamaicans. The last time they met, in the semifinals of last year's Commonwealth Games (where the Ferns won by 20), Irene van Dyk twice hit the floor in collisions with Jamaican goal keep Kasey Evering.
Davis admits her side are not in optimum shape going into this tour. "We're not where we can be, to be at the top, because we have things to work on and we're just getting into our own," she told the Jamaica Observer. "We're not as fit as we can be, but we're going to work on it and we're going to give it our best shot."
The Silver Ferns go into camp on Sunday for Thursday's first test in Christchurch, and although they've had a wealth of netball already this year, Aitken acknowledges it is still a side rebuilding. They've lost four senior players since winning Commonwealth gold 16 months ago.
"The UK tour [in May] was our first without Vilimaina Davu ... She was a wonderful player, there's no doubt about it, and we're still finding ways to defend without her," Aitken said.
"We've also lost Belinda Colling, Anna Rowberry and now Temepara George. That's four really key Silver Ferns.
"But I'm very excited about this group - the feeling at the trials was great. "The worlds are coming ready or not. Maybe it's a good thing we're not in Fiji this week."
Upcoming tests (all live on TV One, all NZ times)
Thursday: v Jamaica, Christchurch, 8.30pm
July 14: v Jamaica, Waitakere, 7.30pm
July 18: v Australia, Auckland, 7.30pm
July 21: v Australia, Melbourne, 12am
July 24: v Australia, Adelaide, 12am
