Netball: Midcourt misery plagues NZ

Geva Mentor of the World 7 tries to block the shot of Silver Fern Irene van Dyk. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand netball's midcourt misery continued as the Silver Ferns fell 48-44 to a remarkably well-drilled World 7 team in Wellington tonight.

In a result which does not bode well for the upcoming five tests against Australia - and with Diamonds coach Norma Plummer an interested observer in the crowd - New Zealand struggled from the first whistle to the last find any sort of rhythm.

Although some blame for a lack of timing could be due to limited preparation time, the World 7 suffered under the same constraints yet still managed to put together an impressively co-ordinated effort.

An obviously disappointed Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken said on-court communication was patchy and the links between defence and attack stilted.

"Our connections on defence weren't quite as strong as they needed to be, and I think everyone was working really hard, but I felt they were working in isolation," she said afterwards.

"We certainly have to get those communication lines going more, and when we get turnover ball -- which was really hard-fought -- we've got to be able to secure it safely to goal.

"Our transition game was not where it needed to be tonight."

Aitken said she would be reassessing personnel and tactics ahead of Wednesday's second test in Rotorua: "But each and every player that goes out there needs to take a step up."

World 7 coach Julie Fitzgerald said the manner of the win was the most satisfying aspect of what probably ranked an upset victory.

"I was just really, really pleased with the way they won it. I thought their discipline and compsure was just tremendous, for a team that's just been together for a short period of time, I was really proud of how they controlled it.

"We knew we were a new combination and there wasn't room for fancy plays or anything like that. Just that short, sharp game and keeping hold of the ball was what we needed to do."

In the absence of lanky Jamaican goal shoot Romelda Aiken, Northern Mystics shooter Cathrine Latu picked up goal shooting duties for the World 7, with the Southern Steel's Australian goal attack Megan Dehn as her offsider.

The combination stretched New Zealand's circle defence in the opening stanza, new captain Casey Williams and goal defence Katrina Grant often left scrambling to cover some intelligent feeding well-directed by classy centre and World 7 captain Natasha Chokjlat and Samoan wing attack Frances Solia.

At the other end of the court, Irene van Dyk and Maria Tutaia were put under the hammer right from the first whistle, battling the well-drilled English defensive duo of Geva Mentor and Sonia Mkoloma as well as some occasionally wayward feeding.

The Silver Ferns through-court links looked distinctly rusty, although Temepara George - back after two years' self-imposed exile - started with an absolute pinpoint looping pass into van Dyk as she prowled the baseline.

However as the quarter progressed, New Zealand's timing and communication in the midcourt was misfiring, and consistency suffered as a result.

And while both teams were guilty of coughing up too many turnovers, the World 7 managed to convert possession into points as Latu, looking sharp and with impressive elevation, shot 12 from 13 attempts for the quarter.

Van Dyk also missed with only one, sinking eight from nine, but Tutaia struggled with her accuracy and managed only four from se ven.

Things didn't improve in the second quarter, the World 7 piling on the pressure through the midcourt, with 54-cap former Australian international Peta Scholz at wing defence giving Liana Barrett-Chase a particularly torrid time.

With Dehn getting through a power of work outside the circle, and with Latu continuing her impressive positioning and eagle-eyed shooting, the World 7 eased out to a four-goal lead early in the second quarter.

The Silver Ferns absorbed the pressure, and clawed back some of the lead but still went into halftime trailing 22-25 as the World 7 increased pressure on the New Zealand midcourt, and restricted van Dyk and Tutaia to just 11 shots on goal for the 15-minutes spell.

The pair settled into their work, and missed only one shot, but De hn and Latu were converting enough of the extra possession to extend the lead, between them sinking 12 from 14 attempts.

Aitken resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes at halftime, the introduction of Joline Henry at goal defence for Grant her only concession to the scoreline.

Henry's combination with Williams slotted immediately into action, her speed on the baseline cutting off a lucrative supply of ball to Latu and forcing hard-won turnover ball.

Henry offered more options in getting the ball through the midcourt, and the Silver Ferns levelled early in the spell, but couldn't maintain the momentum as the Mkoloma-Mentor combination pounced on some tentative feeding around the circle.

New Zealand's midcourt woes continued in the third quarter, too many turnovers providing a steady supply of ball for the World 7 shooters - or to be precise, for Latu who sank 12 from 14 attempts as the international team edged out to a 38-34 lead with 15 minutes remaining.

Van Dyk and Tutaia managed to put up 15 shots for the quarter, sinking 12 of them as the Silver Ferns battled to make headway against a sharp-looking World 7 attack.

Maree Bowden came on for Barrett-Chase in the final quarter, while Australian Demelza McCloud replaced Mkoloma, but there looked little hope for the New Zealanders as they seemed to struggle to find their rhythm.

In contrast, there was no indication the international side had barely had three days together, as Fitzgerald and assistant coach Lisa Alexander wisely let their talented line-up play their own game.

Sadly, the Silver Ferns not only couldn't play their own game, they didn't seem to know what it was to start with.

Teams:

New Zealand: Irene van Dyk, Maria Tutaia, Liana Barrett-Chase, Temepara George, Laura Langman, Katrina Grant, Casey Williams (captain). Bench: Anna Thompson, Paula Griffin, Maree Bowden, Joline Henry, Larrissa Willcox.

World 7: Cathrine Latu, Megan Dehn, Frances Solia, Natasha Chokjlat, Peta Scholz, Sonia Mkoloma, Geva Mentor. Bench: Louisa Brownfield, Tamsin Greenway, Demelza McCloud, Althea Byfield.

- NZPA