KEY POINTS:
Try telling Amber Hearn that New Zealand's women soccer players don't deserve to be at the Olympic Games.
The Auckland striker talks bullishly of not just plugging away to restrict the damage, but getting wins during the tournament which takes place at four venues throughout China next month.
The Football Ferns qualified as Oceania representatives by beating Papua New Guinea 2-0 in March.
But they, along with the men's Oly Whites, required the approval of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, whose expectation is that teams possess the capability of making the second round of their competition.
In the women's case, it was not a sitter that they would get the green light.
They had fulfilled the international federation criteria and eventually the NZOC board voted unanimously to send the women to China.#The argument was that these Olympics "will be a critical stepping stone in preparation for a competitive result at London in 2012 and future-proofing the development of women's football in New Zealand".
Read between the lines and that sounds like they half expect the Football Ferns to get a series of pastings from Japan, Norway, and the United States - all world top-10 nations - in their group games but that it was all in a good four-year cause.
The Football Ferns have been used as a, er, football since their inclusion was confirmed on March 27 by those who have felt they got a free kick into the tournament. But at least theirs is an open age competition, unlike the men, whose under 23, plus three overage ring-ins have no place at the Olympic table.
Their first two opponents are former Olympic champions. Japan is the target for a win. China beat them in a recent warmup 3-1; the New Zealand team insist they should have beaten China in a game they lost 1-0 this month. Therefore ...
"We definitely deserve to be there," Hearn said. "We've come a long way in a couple of months. The team has matured so much technically and we're just playing for each other. The Olympics are the next level, but we're definitely going to come out with wins."
Hearn has experienced a high level of women's soccer. She spent about 18 months from late 2004 at Arsenal, whose women's team are strong. Hearn admitted she had her starstruck moments.
"We ate meals with them every day, we trained where they trained and would come together to have lunch," she said. "They" being the likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, and more latterly the next generation of Arsenal stars including Spanish Euro 2008 hero Cesc Fabregas and Dutch striker Robin van Persie.
But, frustrated at a lack of starting opportunities, Hearn moved to Doncaster, an unfashionable lower league men's club but among the top English women's outfits.
However, an Achilles tendon injury did it for her and she spent a year travelling about Europe before heading home where she now plays for Lynn Avon United, who have five players in the Olympic squad.
There are five overseas-based players in the squad of 18. Goalkeeper Rachel Howard plays for TSV Crailsheim in Germany, defender Ria Perciful is at FC Indiana in the American premier league, midfielder Emily McColl plays for Coastal Carolina University, defender Ali Riley is at Stanford University and defender and former captain Rebecca Smith is at Sunnana SK in Sweden, rated among the world's toughest women's leagues.
The Football Ferns are in group G for the 12-team tournament, and open against world No 10 Japan (New Zealand are ranked No 24), before facing 2000 Olympic champions Norway (ranked No 5) and ending with two-time Olympic gold medallists and world No 1 the United States.
There have been some encouraging signs that things are coming together in the leadup to arriving in China.
They beat Argentina 1-0 in the Peace Queen Cup in Korea in March, had 1-0 losses to Australia and China this month before belting Singapore 14-0 in Singapore on Wednesday.
Hearn and fellow Lynn Avon striker Emma Kete got four goals apiece, but apart from the confidence gained from bending the net, Singapore's ranking of 91 puts some perspective on that scoreline.
They play world No 9 Canada in Singapore tonight. They held them to 2-0, having had goalkeeper Rachel Howard sent off at the start of the second half. Tonight should give them a decent reading on progress.
Still, Hearn insists the omens are good, with one proviso.
"We've just got to be a bit more clinical and take our chances," she said.
"We're already great defensively and in our mid-attacking, now it's the attacking third we've got to sort out.
"But nothing will break our spirit, we've worked so hard to get where we are."
And if they do surprise in China, they'll feel entitled to thumb their nose at those who have used them as an example of getting an easy pass into the Olympics.
