Netball: Silver Ferns on guard against complacency

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken. Photo / Getty Images

The Silver Ferns are confident they will not fall victim to complacency during the world netball championship in Singapore.

The Casey Williams-skippered squad are due to have their first day in the island nation today as they acclimatise to the tropical heat and humidity before their opening pool match against Fiji next Monday night.

While 16 nations are in contention, most expectations are that the July 10 final will pit world No 1 and back-to-back Commonwealth Games gold medallists New Zealand against defending champions Australia.

However, Williams is wary of the potential pitfalls for the Silver Ferns along the way.

"There's definitely not just Australia," she said before the team departed Auckland yesterday.

"There's Jamaica. There's England. But there's also the likes of Fiji - those games are sometimes harder than the bigger ones.

"I don't think anything is easy these days. Everybody on the day can beat anybody."

If the Silver Ferns need reminding about the dangers posed by opponents other than Australia, they only have to go back to their match against England at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games last October.

The English led both at halftime and after the third quarter, before a strong finish saw the New Zealanders home 47-41.

Apart from Fiji, the Silver Ferns will also face Wales and Trinidad and Tobago in their pool.

If results go according to rankings, they will face South Africa in the quarterfinals and England in the semifinals.

Not that looking beyond the job at hand is part of their gameplan.

"It is hard sometimes not to look ahead to the prize," Williams said.

"But what's really good about the group of girls we do have is that we're all there taking it day by day, even in the training games.

"You take it day by day, because you never know what's going to happen."

The Silver Ferns go into the tournament having split a test series with Australia this month 1-1.

Williams is happy with where she and her teammates are at as they finetune their preparations in their bid to complete the double of back-to-back Commonwealth and world gold medals.

"I think we're in a great head space," she said.

"Everybody is buzzing and excited about Singapore, but also confident in knowing that we can do this."

Williams, 26, made her test debut in 2005 and the gritty defender has 58 caps to her name.

Her one previous appearance in a world championship was in the last tournament in Auckland four years ago, when New Zealand lost their crown in a 39-42 defeat to Australia in the final.

Williams downplayed the idea of revenge as a motivator in Singapore.

"Not really for me, it's a different team," she said.

"We're at a different stage to where we were before we went into that world champs. I think we're a lot more confident."

- NZPA