Netball: Aitken's search for a silver lining

Never mind the world championships, the most pressing task for Silver Ferns' boss Ruth Aitken over the next few weeks will be finding some key personnel, not least a new captain.

As if losing Belinda Charteris, Bernice Mene, Linda Vagana, Donna Loffhagen and Tania Dalton in the space of a year has not been difficult enough for the New Zealand coach, this week's news that skipper Julie Seymour is stepping down indefinitely has added yet another twist to the side's build-up to next July's world championships.

By the time Aitken announces her 12-strong line-up to play South Africa on November 1 and 2, at least three changes will have been made to the squad and a new captain will have been appointed, leaving a completely re-shaped team for the 2002-2003 campaign.

The decisions facing the rookie coach appear to range from the straightforward to the enormously complicated, particularly when it comes to balancing her mid-court options against the need for flexibility in the shooting circle.

The gap at the defence end should prove one of her least difficult problems. Mene, Vagana and Charteris might have gone, but Vilimaina Davu and Sheryl Clarke impressed at the Commonwealth Games, and seem likely to retain their berths against South Africa.

And in turn, perennial bench warmer Anna Veronese will probably be asked to step up and take more on-court responsibility.

Aitken then has to pick a new defender. It seems the smart money is on Otago's young dynamo Anna Scarlett or new Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, and former South African, defender Leanna du Plooy. Given Scarlett's comparative youth, it could be that she gets the nod on purely developmental grounds.

The mid-court problem is more difficult to read, mainly because Aitken has two clear choices, both involving a recall for Otago utility Adine Harper.

The talented Harper could either be brought back as a mid-courter, who at times could play goal-attack, or she could be recalled as a goal-attack who could lend her hand to the mid-court if circumstances dictated.

Others in line for Seymour's spot include Auckland's Temepara Clark, and the Waikato pair of Jenny-May Coffin and Amigene Metcalfe, both of whom are well respected for their work ethic and never-say-die defence.

On the other hand, Aitken could decide to play Harper as a mid-courter and bring in another shooting option, at which stage players such as Canterbury's Jodi Te Huna, Otago's Angela Evans and goal-shoot Daneka Wipiiti would come into consideration.

As for captain, either Aitken reverts to one of her former skippers, Lesley Nicol and Belinda Colling, neither of whom are likely to continue for long after the world championships, or she picks someone completely new, such as Harper or Anna Rowberry.

Nicol, given her surety of selection in the starting line-up, seems a front-runner for the position, but Netball New Zealand staff will be well aware of her sterling contribution since she was relieved of the captaincy - and may be reluctant to burden her again.

At that point, Colling might appear the obvious choice, if it wasn't for the fact that she might not command a regular spot in the starting line-up, and tends to struggle against top-class international defences.

If Aitken was to look past both her former captains, she would probably be left with a choice between Harper, who is unlikely to get the nod after missing out on the Commonwealth Games, and Rowberry, who has filled the role for Auckland.

Rowberry might not have always been a candidate for the captaincy, given her fairly tempestuous career early on with New Zealand, but officials have apparently been impressed with her maturity during the past couple of seasons, and appointed her skipper of the national A side.

The squad to play South Africa will be named on October 31.