Netball: Aitken rebuilds to tackle England

Ruth Aitken. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Silver Ferns next week begin a new four-year cycle in international netball, but their first challenge will be putting to bed the past four years.

The New Zealand team assemble in camp on Tuesday to begin their preparation for the two-test series against England - their first international outing since their gut-wrenching one-goal loss to Australia in the world championship final.

But out-going national coach Ruth Aitken said the focus of their preparation would be about building for the next four years rather than trying to atone for past disappointment.

"It's important to get them all together and appreciate that things move on from world champs and now it's about moving forward," said Aitken.

The upcoming tests against an understrength England side loom as a solid stepping stone to the Constellation Cup series against Australia at the end of next month.

Without injured captain Casey Williams and her senior lieutenant Temepara George, who retired following the world championships, the Silver Ferns have lost a good chunk of experience.

With several new players - Cathrine Latu, Kayla Cullen and Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick - to be integrated in to the system, there were initially fears that England, world netball's danger team, would be in a strong position to roll the Ferns in the upcoming series.

But the English will be without an even larger core of players as interim coach Collette Thompson opted to bring out a young, inexperienced team with an eye to the future.

Star defender Geva Mentor and their frontline shooting pairing of Pamela Cookey and Louisa Brownfield will be rested for the tour, while the retirement of captain Karen Atkinson and injury to Sara Bayman will leave the midcourt exposed.

In their place Thompson will bring out a group of virtual unknowns, including defenders Gemma Fletcher and Lindsay Keable, midcourter Sophia Candappa, and shooter Kadeen Corbin - the younger sister of midcourter Sasha.

Aitken admitted she had to google the names of a few of the players in the squad to find out who they were.

While a weakened English side presents the perfect opportunity for Aitken to ease her own newcomers into the international environment, she said it was not a given that players would be blooded in this series.

Latu, who has been in the Silver Ferns squad for nearly two years but not a selection option until now, will almost certainly take the court. But the two 19-year-old Aucklanders, Cullen and Tone-Fitzpatrick, may have to wait.

"We definitely want to finish this year on a real high with putting out the best performances that we can," said Aitken. "If we can get new players out on court in and around that, then that's good, but they have to prove in the training environment that they're worthy of it."

However, with the Ferns light on defensive options in the absence of injured stars Williams and Katrina Grant, Aitken may be forced to give the youngsters a run if further injury strikes.

Silver Ferns v England
* October 3, Trusts Stadium, Waitakere
* October 7, Stadium Southland Velodrome, Invercargill