No New Zealand team has won in Australia in the inaugural trans Tasman netball season but NSW Swifts coach Julie Fitzgerald has dismissed the significance of the statistic ahead of next Monday's grand final in Sydney.
The Swifts play minor premiers Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic in the season decider at Acer Arena.
TAB Sportsbet today posted the Swifts as $1.50 favourite for the title with Magic at $2.50, but Fitzgerald said she didn't care what the odds were.
In 12 trans Tasman clashes in Australia, the home team has won 11 and the 12th was declared a draw because of a leak in a stadium roof in Perth when home team West Coast Fever held a big lead over Central Pulse.
Magic booked their grand final place in Sydney with a 51-49 home win over Adelaide last night.
Thunderbirds coach Jane Woodlands believed the Magic would find it hard to break the New Zealand teams' travelling bogey in Sydney.
"They had a tough hitout against us and Sydney will be fresh as ever and are fantastic at home, so I think the Magic will find it a tough challenge," Woodlands said.
Fitzgerald, who travelled to Hamilton to watch last night's game, had a different slant on the issue.
"I think the fact no New Zealand team has won in Australia is not a factor at all," Fitzgerald said today.
"It's a grand final, it's a totally different set of rules and I wouldn't factor that into it.
"But I think for us it's always nice to play at home and I'm glad we haven't had to travel.
"I think we do have an advantage playing at home, they do have the advantage in being a vastly more experienced side than us, so how you weigh all those factors up, I don't know."
Swifts defeated Magic by margins of three and one in home and away clashes respectively.
Asked what her team needed to do to win next week, Fitzgerald said: "I think we have to maintain a lot of discipline on court.
"We can't afford to give away too many penalties at any stage or anywhere on the court.
"We have to stick to the game plan we know works for us and not get caught up in the emotion of it being a grand final or the fact that Magic are capable of scoring goals quickly.
"We have to make sure that if they do get a little run on that that doesn't get to us, we don't panic, we stay calm and composed."
Fitzgerald said she was surprised by the unexpected move of the Magic's Silver Ferns star Laura Langman to wing attack and wasn't sure if the tactic would be repeated next week.
With no game this week, Fitzgerald planned to put her side through an intra-squad hitout tonight.
She reported no injury issues for her team following last week's major semi-final away win over Magic.
