Did you know that New Zealand has another significant sport event going on at the moment that doesn't involve an oval ball?
The Silver Ferns and Diamonds are again battling it out on court in a four test series for the Constellation Cup, a cup first played for in 2010 and worthy of attention.
The name of the cup was inspired by the Southern Cross constellation, which at this moment, remains on both national flags.
For 80 years the Bledisloe Cup has come to symbolise rivalry between Australia and New Zealand on the rugby field.
The Constellation Cup, still an infant in trophy years, aims to evoke the same emotion and transtasman rivalry on the netball court.
It is difficult, however, for a cup made of stirling silver and encrusted with not one but 101 diamonds to shine in the shadow of the Rugby World Cup, and in the hangover of the Netball World Champs.
New Zealanders may be feeling cynical about the chances of the Silver Ferns against a team that rarely falters.
Maria Tutaia's absence from the series also suggests that not even the players feel this event is worth showing up for.
But there is still a lot to play for. For starters, they could play for pride, redemption, and a poroporoake (farewell) for the coach and perhaps some of the more experienced players such as Leana de Bruin, Jodi Brown, and Casey Kopua.
The first game, which the Silver Ferns lost by 14 goals by the way, was Waimarama Taumaunu's 50th game as head coach, and she has already signalled this series will be her last in that role.
Tamaunu has experienced the highs and lows as a player, an administrator, an assistant coach and as a head coach.
She had a difficult job of filling Ruth Aitken's shoes, and instead chose a no-nonsense approach and created her own path to follow.
The players who have hinted at retirement have also had illustrious and resilient careers that should be celebrated.
Brown first started her Silver Ferns career in 2002, won a World Championship, experienced detours along the way that were both positive (baby) and negative (injuries), and worked her way back into the team in 2012.
De Bruin played 34 tests for South Africa before moving to New Zealand in the new millennium and debuting for the Silver Fern in 2003.
She has been a stalwart of the team who also managed to earn back her black dress after having a baby (not an easy feat).
Casey Kopua earned her Silver Fern stripes in 2004, made her on-court debut a year later, and has won gold medals at the World Youth Netball Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the World Netball Series, as well as three silver medals at the World Netball Champs.
She is also the most capped New Zealand netball captain, and recovered from a ruptured patella tendon to play in the World Cup in Sydney in August.
All these women deserve their time in the limelight, and, like the rugby players who get their 100th test cap presented to them after the game, they deserve to have their efforts and careers acknowledged.
In the furore that followed the All Blacks' annihilation of the French in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals, the Constellation Cup hasn't had a chance to shine.
Research has shown that in the 1990s media coverage of women's sport in New Zealand rarely rose above 15% unless female athletes and teams were contributing to national identity via global multisport events such as the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
I'm not aware of any recent statistics with regards to New Zealand media coverage (which is complicated even more with social media) but the Silver Ferns, and those who may retire at the end of this series, deserve our attention and a great send-off.
Watch the second game, and inspire the Silver Ferns to out-dazzle the diamonds next to them and on the Constellation Cup.
