Netball: Accurate Loffhagen gives selectors notice

By RICHARD BOOCK

Donna Loffhagen gave the Silver Ferns another selection dilemma at the weekend after steering the Southern Sting to their third consecutive national league title.

The 23-year-old dual international turned in an impressive showing at goal-attack on Saturday night as the Sting edged out the Canterbury Flames 47-44 in front of another sellout crowd of more than 4000 at Stadium Southland.

Unavailable for most of last season's international programme because of commitments to the New Zealand basketball team, Loffhagen held her nerve and shot a series of crucial goals in the final quarter to hold off a last, desperate counter-attack from the Canterbury side.

If it were not for her sweet shooting and excellent combination with centre Adine Harper, the story might well have been dramatically different, as the Flames had effectively shut down goal-shoot Janine Topia, and needed only a couple of lucky breaks to take the game.

But Loffhagen's accuracy around the circle enabled the Sting to keep their noses in front throughout, and her defensive work-rate was also responsible for a string of valuable turnovers in the attacking third.

Her performance was all the more fascinating when compared to the efforts of her Flames opposite and Silver Fern incumbent Belinda Colling, who again turned in a strong passing and positional game, but disappointed in her main area of responsibility, shooting.

The captain of New Zealand during their ill-fated world championship campaign in 1999, Colling was under constant pressure from Sting and Silver Ferns skipper Bernice Mene, and characteristically farmed off the lion's share of possession to her goal-shoot, Angela Evans.

Evans coped reasonably well, nailing 34 goals from 42 attempts, but Colling shot only 10 from 17, leaving more questions about her shooting ability at the highest level.

Sting coach Robyn Broughton said she was delighted that Loffhagen had answered critics who thought she was unsuited to the goal-attack position, and was wasted there.

"I think Donna's the best goal-attack in New Zealand," the Ferns assistant coach said yesterday, after savouring the satisfaction of a third Coca-Cola Cup triumph.

"I've had people going on at me about why I play her there. Well, she's the best in her position, that's why, and she's shown that throughout this campaign.

"She's coming on in leaps and bounds and puts up more shots than any other goal-attack in the country, and she works extremely well with the players around her. Donna's been our goal-attack for three years now and we've won three successive titles, so I feel I know what I'm talking about."

Loffhagen shot more than 90 per cent in the first half as the Sting busted the game wide open to lead 27-20 at the break, and carried much of the responsibility through the second, absorbing huge pressure to end the game with 22 successes from 29 attempts.

The Flames effectively lost the game in the second quarter, when they were outgunned 8-14, but showed great resilience to fight their way to within two on several occasions, the last during the final, frenetic moments.