Netball: Strategic goal behind battle for unlikely star

Mystics shooter Cathrine Latu would be a boon to the Silver Ferns. Photo / Christine Cornege.

During all the furore over Netball New Zealand's legal challenge over Cathrine Latu's eligibility, one point has been overlooked: Why is the national body so desperate to have her on the team? Is Latu worth all the fuss?

While it has only recently become public, Netball NZ have been petitioning the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) to reconsider Latu's eligibility status for over 18 months.

If you backtrack 18 months, Latu was one of the stand-outs in the world seven team that upstaged the Ferns in a three-test series.

The August 2009 test series has been heralded as the turning point in Latu's career. Up until that point she had been considered a mercurial talent at best, but the consistency of her performances for the world seven team, particularly up against star defender Casey Williams, forced people to reassess their opinions.

Many have assumed this was also the catalyst for Netball NZ to start pushing the case with IFNA. But what few realise is that Latu was actually invited into the Silver Ferns camp the week before the world seven series.

Ferns coach Ruth Aitken said she saw a real shift in Latu's thinking, and at the end of the camp the young shooter stated her commitment and desire to wear the black dress.

"It was the first time she was in the Ferns environment and I think that was the first time she could see herself in that group as an equal," said Aitken.

To look at Latu she seems the most unlikely of sporting stars. She doesn't have the athletic build of a professional netballer and her fitness has been called into question.

So what is it the Silver Ferns selectors see in Latu?

Latu is incredibly agile and a strong mover. She has a natural flair with her attacking game and has the ability to confound defenders with her range of movement and clever passing game. The kicker: she is deadly accurate, topping the ANZ Championship shooting statistics with a 92.4 per cent strike rate.

The peerless Irene van Dyk, who seems to get better with age, still reigns supreme at the top of New Zealand's shooting ranks. At this stage, Latu is not going to displace the veteran sharpshooter from the starting line-up. But what Latu represents to the New Zealand selectors is a genuine option off the bench.

The Silver Ferns have run the same shooting pairing of van Dyk and Maria Tutaia since 2008 - they've had no plan B if things go awry. That predictability aids and comforts the enemy.

With Latu in the team, it will force the opposition to strategise against another combination.

But back to the question of her conditioning.

Aitken said since including Latu in the Ferns' wider squad 18 months ago, the 24-year-old has made big strides in this area but admits she still has a way to go.

"She's been really working consistently towards improving those aspects of her game, her whole conditioning and preparation.

"She knows she still has work to do, but she's on the right path."

The concern isn't whether Latu has the fitness to get through a game - she has a proven ability to finish out matches strongly - but is she going to be able to cope with the Ferns' demanding schedule?

The national team trains up to three times a day, combining their intense court work with strength and conditioning training and dedicated skills sessions.

Aitken admits Latu's schedule will need to be carefully monitored to ensure she is not overloaded.

"She's been working towards [fitting into the Silver Ferns training environment] with the conditioning programme we have given her, whether that needs to be modified or not I'm not sure.

"The reality is we are actually on a really short timeframe into the worlds, so it will be about looking at each of the individual needs of the players and modifying as we go."

The selectors are taking a massive gamble on many fronts by including Latu in the team.

Not only are they banking on the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling in their favour, but they are relying on Latu having the ability to quickly adapt to a more professional and demanding environment.

There is a lot on the line, Netball NZ could come out looking very silly if they are proved wrong in the court room or on the court. But in a world championship year there is also everything to be gained.