Force goal shoot Daneka Wipiiti knows she will need nothing but net if she lines up against Vilimaina Davu, one of the game's best rebounders, tonight.
"She has got this presence, this real mana about her," Wipiiti said of Davu.
"I remember when I was a lot younger and the first time I played her she sort of hit me and I just went flying.
"I am a lot stronger now, but you know when you come up against Vili you are going to come away with a bruise or two."
At 1.94m tall, Wipiiti is just 4cm taller than Davu. It's always a torrid contest.
Davu was - "and I mean this in a nice way" - one of those "mongrel players".
"She is always there hunting for the ball, she wants everything.
"She is also known as one of the best rebounders in the competition, so those are the kind of things I need to counter. I definitely don't want any shots rebounding."
But that has plagued Wipiiti's shooting this year.
"I played two of my better games against the Diamonds and Sting but I am still waiting for my best performance and I hope it comes against the Flames."
While much has been made of Wipiiti's inconsistency, the 21-year-old said she tried not to put too much pressure on herself.
The Flames came away with a 51-48 win the last time the two sides met, back in round two, but it is fair to say that since then, the Force have stepped up a couple of gears.
The key for the Force will be to try and starve the Flames' accurate shooting duo of Belinda Colling and Jodi Te Huna of possession.
"We have set clear goals of what we need to do," Wipiiti said.
"We have gone back to basic netball pretty much and focused more on our strengths rather than our opposition's."
Head to head
Name: Daneka Wipiiti
Born: September 8, 1982, Hamilton
Height: 1.94m
Position: GS
Test caps: 6
Career highlights -
2004: New Zealand A team
2002: Silver Ferns
2002-2004: Force
1998-2001: Western Flyers
Name: Vilimaina Davu
Born: January 15, 1977, Fiji
Height: 1.90m
Positions: GK, GD
Test caps: 34 for New Zealand, 12 for Fiji
Career highlights -
2000-04: Silver Ferns
2000-04: Canterbury Flames
Netball: Shooter expects torrid time in National Bank Cup
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