KEY POINTS:
Bruised and battered, the Silver Ferns will be charged with adrenalin for their biggest game in four years tonight - the defence of their world netball title.
Their gripping semifinal fight-back win over Jamaica last night took its toll, but Ferns coach Ruth Aitken insisted they are prepared for the physical battle that is always on the cards with arch rivals Australia, their confident opponent in tonight's final.
"That's what these championships are all about. So whether they are sore or not the adrenalin will certainly kick in. The recovery will be first class, but there's no doubt it takes a toll on the body. But we've just got to get on with it."
New Zealand have never won a world netball championship at home; neither have they ever notched up back-to-back title victories.
Their opponents Australia are perennial foes. They have a formidable record in world championship history - eight time winners, three times runners-up.
Since the first tournament in 1963, when Australia beat New Zealand by one goal, the two teams have been rarely separated by more than two goals at a world tournament.
Since the last World Championships in Jamaica in 2003, where the Silver Ferns beat Australia in the final 49-47, the neighbours have met another 18 times. The record stands at 10 victories to the Silver Ferns, eight to Australia.
While Australia have had the upper hand in recent times, they are still smarting from losing both their world and Commonwealth crowns to New Zealand.
The encounter beneath the hoop between Australian captain Liz Ellis and the Silver Ferns' super shooter Irene van Dyk - once again the most accurate shooter in the world - will be a highlight.
For two of the most experienced players in global netball - both in their fourth world championships - this may be their swansong.
Ellis predicts the more consistent side will win tonight.
"You can't let yourself go down at any quarter, you can't let yourself feel the tired legs, you can't let yourself drop at any stage. It's just going to be really consistent, simple netball."
Van Dyk was buoyed by last night's fightback: "At the beginning of the year Australia got ahead of us by 10 points and we couldn't fight back. Now we've crossed that barrier and we've realised there's more in the tank."
'Is your heart pounding like mine?'
A 19-year-old giant almost brought the Silver Ferns crashing down in one fell swoop of her dangling arms last night.
For three quarters of the world championship semifinal, Jamaica seemed poised to crush New Zealand's dreams of back-to-back world titles, using their 1.96m tall shooting sensation Romelda Aiken as their weapon.
But the Silver Ferns averted disaster in the final 15 minutes, when defenders Casey Williams and Leana du Bruin put the squeeze on Romelda Aiken and bustling goal attack Simone Forbes, pulling away to a breathtaking 59-49 victory.
It wasn't until the last five minutes that Ferns coaches Ruth Aitken and Leigh Gibbs were able to breathe easy.
Ferns shooter Irene van Dyk yet again held firm under massive pressure from feisty defenders Althea Byfield and Kasey Evering, finishing the night with 41 from 44 attempts.
"Is your heart pounding like mine?," van Dyk asked after the comeback from a six-goal deficit. "I think tonight we showed we can fight back, that we do not give up easily. We will take a lot of confidence out of that."
Like a giant forklift, Romelda Aiken seemed to extend every time the high bombs came her way.
Goal keep Williams soon realised her vertical leap wasn't quite enough and went for the intercepts.
At the other end, the high lobs into van Dyk initially were not working, with Byfield and Evering double teaming and cutting down her options.
It wasn't all about height. The Jamaicans played smart, intellectual netball, mixing it up with bounces and short passes through court, then smothering Laura Langman and Adine Wilson on defence.
At the end of the first quarter, 13-16 down, Ruth Aitken benched goal defence Sheryl Scanlan for the significantly taller de Bruin.
But huge cracks opened up in the Ferns attack drawn into playing an aerial game that the Jamaicans are much better at.
With five minutes to go before halftime, the Jamaicans built their biggest lead - six goals - but when the Ferns played it flat and fast, they came back to within two.
Then de Bruin went down briefly from an ankle tap, and Jamaica got another jump on the Ferns, leading 30-26 at the second break.
Joline Henry, with her ability to read spaces, replaced Julie Seymour at wing defence and the Ferns began to drive hard, clawing back to lead by two.
The aggro never let up - van Dyk and Evering went sprawling into the billboards; Forbes did her utmost to aggravate a courageous de Bruin's tender ankle.
The Fern's 41-40 lead going into the last 15 minutes was enough of an advantage to build on their confidence.
Gibbs described the game - the most tense of the championships - as a "great hit out" before tonight's final against Australia.
