Lois Muir: Aitken is right to keep eye on the future

COMMENT

I congratulate the Silver Ferns in this test series because they worked hard, really used their skills well and learned a lot.

It was disappointing that the result didn't go our way but coach Ruth Aitken must be pleased she made the decision to blood new players and I think that is what this series was about.

You want to do well and stay close to Australia if not beat them but you still have to trial people and see if they are ready to learn from the experience, step up and go on.

New Zealand didn't start the same way they did in the second test. We had a slow start, lacking communication and understanding. We made mistakes in bringing the ball through court and our position outside the shooting circle cost us in the first quarter. The New Zealand players failed to drive into the ball, which gave Australia possession.

There was also a lack of total teamwork on defence though court. There wasn't that desire from the New Zealand players to shut the speed of the ball down when the Australians were bringing it through the court.

Amigene Metcalfe, who made her debut for New Zealand at wing attack, feeds Irene van Dyk quite nicely and that was probably the thing that Aitken was thinking about. But she found it very hard to step up to the intensity of that game.

New Zealand could have won the game easily but they kept drifting off. They started slowly, caught up, drifted off, caught up, drifted off. When you get going forward you have to keep the momentum going and the pressure on.

But when a team is in "catch up" it takes energy and resources. When teams are coming back to level the score they tend to relax a little bit after a good run of play and the Silver Ferns did that.

Once again some of the more experienced players did not step up. They didn't really get into the heads of the Australian shooters like the second test. Australian shooter Catherine Cox played really well and was the standout player.

Confidence and belief are funny things and about 10 minutes into the last quarter the Silver Ferns started to doubt themselves. They were trying to be careful and this contributed to their demise.

We could have won the game earlier and why we didn't, I don't know. It is just failing to have confidence and let the ball go.

Although Australia came out with the win I don't think they came out of it with any mana. Australian captain Liz Ellis made a difference in a different way. Ellis was in the con business in this game. She saw the vulnerability of umpires and really appealed to them and that is what disappointed me. She didn't use her netball skills.

The standard of umpiring in the series has raised plenty of discussion. We need a concerted effort by the international netball federation to lift the standard of umpires. It isn't a new problem and it is not getting better.

Aitken would have taken a lot of positives from the series. She got a lot of people on. They were competitive but some of the old guard and some of the new ones need to know they have to step up more. They have to give an hour of concentrated work and be resourceful. You can't be an automatic pilot out there on court.

What the series has also done is shown what is required for the future. There is a great depth in the squad but they have to be tougher and think more on their feet.

New Zealand needed a bit of a hiccup because in the first test they went out and thought they were going to do okay. We really have to work hard. It is a long haul to win the world championships.