Netball: Australia plan fightback in test series

1.00pm

Australian netball coach Norma Plummer has drawn enough positives from the first-test loss to New Zealand to believe her side can make the three-match series a battle to the end.

The teams head to Palmerston North today for the second test tomorrow night, with the Silver Ferns 1-0 up after winning a physical but scrappy encounter 54-45 in Christchurch last night.

After trailing at the end of the first quarter, the world champions established a break in the second and then kept the visitors at arm's length before pulling away to win the final quarter 13-7.

Asked how confident she was that Australia could come back from a test down, Plummer replied in typically colourful fashion.

"Well, we won't be going out there for our good looks," she said. "We'll be going out there having a try."

She took heart from the fact that, while Australia lost by nine goals, they put up more shots -- 63 to 61.

"I'm pretty pleased we got up the shots," she said. If we had 10 less, it might have been a different story, but we didn't. There's still things to work on. There were a couple of debuts out there and I think the experience is fantastic for them."

Plummer put one of her newcomers, defender Demelza Fellowes, in the starting line-up, but she lost the battle of the tall timber, with Silver Fern goal shoot Irene van Dyk compiling 39 goals from 40 attempts.

There was also a first test appearance for goal shoot Kristen Heinrich, who came off the bench for the final quarter, putting up just four shots for two goals.

"We were an unknown quantity and people tipped us to go down by 15 at home, and it only went out in the last quarter," Plummer said.

"If we had nailed a couple of those shots and just some of those loose balls, it might have changed the pattern of the flow, but it didn't work out that way."

She agreed that the match might have been scrappy, but said the reason was both sides were so competitive in contesting the ball.

However, she also bemoaned the unavailability of top shooter Catherine Cox because of injury.

"If Cox were here, it might have been different."

Plummer added that she had always intended to replace vice-captain Sharelle McMahon with Heinrich to give the latter a taste of test match atmosphere.

"She was probably a bit nervous, but I thought I would rather get the nervousness out now.

"She needs to be able to get out on court any time we need her, so the introduction was really for that."

New Zealand skipper Anna Rowberry was happy with the win, but said the Silver Ferns needed to be sharper to counter the Australians' tight one-on-one marking.

"We needed to think more about what we were doing before we got ball," she said.

"We got a little narrow-focussed passing to a person when it probably wasn't the best option. You want to look at the bigger picture and have more options on than the one that's in front of you."

However, Rowberry agreed that winning the world title last year had boosted confidence when facing Australia.

"For so long, we were always the underdogs and for so long we were pipped at the post, so certainly winning the world championship gives you confidence as a team.

"I think in the past we could have feared the Aussies a little. We don't have to fear them any more, because we've beaten them, and it really does lift morale."

- NZPA