The Silver Ferns captain Casey Kopua believes her revamped squad, named on Thursday to contest the upcoming netball World Cup in Sydney, can overcome Australia and win the title back.
Kopua's recovered from her horrific knee injury suffered in the Constellation Cup series late last year and is looking forward to finding out how good her fresh-looking World Cup squad can be, compared to the very experienced but somewhat predictable Australian Diamonds squad.
"I think it can be a strength because nobody knows, even ourselves, just how good we can be with this new group," she said.
Silver Ferns captain Casey Kopua Photo: Photosport
"That's something that is really exciting and really unknown about us... obviously we still need to do the hard work and it's going to be quite different meeting Australia in pool play this year.
'When we are at training in will be quality (time) because we don't have much time and there won't be any choice but to execute what we need to do."
Given she's still not back to full fitness Kopua admits she was somewhat nervous wondering whether she would make the side.
She shouldn't have worried with Taumaunu rating her one of the best defenders at the trial.
"It was 50-50 for me. Knowing that I wasn't quite a hundred percent and knowing that other players were I was a little bit on edge about that," said Kopua.
"I have high expectations and I just want to be the same or better than I was... at the moment I may not being getting to the balls I want to or have the movement but I just have to remind myself that I'm on the court, I'm running - the little things."