New Zealand's new-look Silver Ferns have vowed to offset inevitable mistakes with fearlessness and insist they're enjoying their rare underdog status for the Netball World Cup.
Perennial finalists alongside hosts and defending champions Australia, the Silver Ferns are going into a world titles without the towering presence of legendary shooter Irene van Dyk for the first time since 1999.
They've put their faith in largely untested goal shooters Bailey Mes and Malia Paseka, both dynamic and unpredictable players with little international experience, for the World Cup starting in Sydney on Friday.
"We're very unknown, and this is the first time the Ferns will be able to go to a tournament and be unknown," said veteran goal attack Maria Tutaia.
"We know a lot of people have written us off already, which is fine. To be able to go in as underdogs is a tag a lot of us have never had before."
The Silver Ferns open their campaign against world No.9 Barbados on Friday, then meet 10th-ranked Trinidad and Tobago the following day before running into top seeds Australia on Sunday.
It's been nine matches and nearly two years since they've beaten the defending champions, and Tutaia admits it's a big ask to do it now.
"We're still a really new team and a lot of us, especially in the attacking end, haven't played with each other for a while," she told NZ Newswire.
"We're probably the only team in the competition that has six newbies going to a World Cup, and I think we've definitely got to keep that in mind."
An untried midcourt combination, wing attack Grace Rasmussen and wing defence Kayla Cullen, have just 39 caps between them, with both returning from lengthy injury breaks.
Mes, who will combine with Tutaia in the circle, is also relatively inexperienced at international level with 15 caps.
Coach Waimarama Taumaunu is looking for a more athletic, fast-moving game which utilises Mes's quick hands and feet, superb elevation and strong rebounding.
Tutaia says it's taken time for players to adapt to the new style of play, but sizeable wins over Fiji and South Africa last week showed they were moving in the right direction.
"It's about getting to know each other, and how far we can push each other on court," she said.
"It's going to be extremely tough. We've gone about it the right way, but time is definitely not on our side.
"We are going to make mistakes on court, especially this team because we're so new. But we have to be fearless and be courageous because, to be honest, we've got no other choice."
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