KEY POINTS:
Sharelle McMahon remembers her first encounter with the smiling assassin, Vilimaina Davu, only too well.
It was at the 1999 world championships in Christchurch. McMahon was in her second year with the Australian team - Davu was playing for Fiji.
"I went up for a ball and we
body slapped against each other and I was like ... 'Oh my god'," McMahon shrieks down the phone line as though she is reliving the pain.
"That was my first memory of Vili - things didn't really change much after that."
McMahon said Davu was the most physical defender she encountered. "I think that was one of her strengths. She kept it within the rules but definitely used her size to be physical.
"One of the surprising things about Vili is even though she has so much height and has a strong body - she was quite quick and agile and that made her quite difficult to play."
The question now is: Who have New Zealand got to replace her? The answer probably lies in Anna Scarlett and Casey Williams.
Standing at 1.87m, Scarlett is a difficult opponent for her rivals. Her long, lean limbs, when controlled, are difficult to bypass and her long reach and freakish elevation work to her advantage.
Williams is an exceptional athlete. Tall and strong - like Scarlett she has great elevation and is extremely good in blocking the shot.
What is in New Zealand's favour is that the pair have different styles. Williams is a big-game player. She reads the game well, hunts the ball out on the circle and sticks close to her opponent. Scarlett doesn't venture out of the circle much, picking up most of her ball from inside and on the shot.
While Scarlett has played more than 30 games for New Zealand, Williams is relatively inexperienced having played just nine. Williams' first game against Australia, was in the Commonwealth Games final, when she played two quarters at goal defence with a broken bone in her foot - something unknown at the time.
The next time she is likely to face Australia will be in the world championship final.
Noeline Taurua, who coaches Williams in the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, said the 21-year-old is ready.
"Casey is a game breaker. She can come up with ball and she reads the game well - that is one of her strengths."
But quality defenders are not something New Zealand lack. Scarlett and Williams aside - the New Zealand squad also includes Leana de Bruin and Joline Henry, with Bessie Manu and Katrina Grant in New Zealand A. Former Silver Fern Sheryl Scanlan is also returning to the game after the birth of her first child and, depending on her progress, could be in contention for a world championship place.
Even McMahon reckons the Silver Ferns are well covered.
"It will be impossible to replace someone like Davu but I think the Silver Ferns are in a good position. I think they have got a great defensive lineup waiting to come through, who have already had a little taste of travelling and international netball."
Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken is confident she has the time and players to develop a strong defensive line without Davu - something that will be necessary if they are to defend their world crown in July.
"It will require a different style but we have got players with different skills. It shows why you have to keep building underneath. I enjoy a challenge. The tougher it gets, the better I like it," Aitken said. And tough it will be.
When asked whether she let out an almighty "woo hoo" when told of Davu's retirement, McMahon chuckles mischievously. "I love the competitive nature of elite sport, that is one of the reasons I play. I love the challenge and I love getting all fired up. Vili and I had some awesome contests and I have always loved them.
"When I sent the email about Vili's retirement to a few people I put a little note at the bottom saying: 'I won't miss the bruises but I'll certainly miss the contests we used to have'.
"She was a great character in the netball world."
