OPINION: Newshub's panel of experts cast their votes for New Zealand's most impressive team of the past year - and there's one relatively clearcut winner.
SILVER FERNS
Sorry, but the answer to this question is pretty obvious.
Nobody really gave new coach Noeline Taurua much chance of turning around a programme that was so out of sorts at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Bringing back 'retired' veterans Casey Kopua and Laura Langman seemed an act of sheer desperation at the time, but ultimately proved a key difference at the World Cup.
The self-described 'fossils' clearly drove the cultural shift required to lift the team out of the mire, along with Taurua's edict that players meet minimum fitness standards.
Some out-of-shape candidates fell away during the selection process, as they failed to reach that line in the sand.
Considering how far off the pace they were during 2018, losing to Malawi for the first time, the Silver Ferns' triumph at Liverpool was little short of a miracle, accounting for title favourites England and Australia along the way.
Staying there will be a massive challenge, with Kopua (again) and shooter Maria Folau already retired, and long-term question marks over Taurua, Langman and Katrina Rore.
But for now, let's just enjoy their achievement and hand the supreme Halberg Award to our netballers for their efforts.
NZ MEN'S NETBALL TEAM
While our women deservedly enjoyed the World Cup spotlight, spare a thought for their male counterparts, who created their own slice of history with their first official series against the Silver Ferns.
Previously, the two sides had met several times behind closed doors, but no-one was really sure how their televised encounters would pan out.
Would the men just dominate physically or would the women's skill carry the day?
Ultimately, the men won both games, but in the process, they provided the Ferns with an ideal build-up to their world title aspirations, bringing a completely different style for the women to try to overcome.
Hopefully, we'll see more of this rivalry in the future.
Grant Chapman, Newshub online sports editor
SILVER FERNS
Our golden girls just edge the Blackcaps. What a turnaround in little more than 18 months for the New Zealand netball side, who were clearly inspired by coach Noeline Taurua.
From the laughing stock of the Commonwealth Games to world champions, the Ferns proved that good leadership, a smart gameplan and utilising the best of your abilities could lead to success.
The pulsating final against Australia was one of the most enthralling sporting moments of 2019 and a fitting send-off for one of the sport's great players - Casey Kopua.
Brad Lewis, Fight Club & The Cup19 podcast producer
TASMAN MAKO
Winning all 12 of their Mitre 10 Cup games, the Tasman Mako finally became champions.
The 2019 team will go down in history as one of the strongest ever assembled in provincial rugby. #FinzUp
John Day, Newshub sports reporter
KERRI GOWLER & GRACE PRENDERGAST
Just seven months out from the Tokyo Olympics, this rowing duo appear ready to become household names by July next year.
The past 12 months saw them achieve rare success at the world championships, extending their dominance in the women's pair to win gold and just one day later, backing it up with the history-making women's eight.
World Rowing's Female Crew of the Year stand out in this category.
Kristina Eddy, Newshub sports reporter/producer
SILVER FERNS
Wow, what a turnaround.
Coach Noeline Taurua took these ladies from the bottom, after their Commonwealth Games failure, to the top of the world in claiming World Cup glory.
They shone through in a year where the Blackcaps suffered heartbreak at their World Cup and the All Blacks fell short in theirs, claiming a disappointing third.
Luke Robinson, Newshub online sports producer
