Netball: Blood new players now, says Muir

By JULIE ASH

Lois Muir has a piece of advice for current Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken.

Forget about Belinda Colling and Donna Loffhagen for the series against Australia in November and take a risk on a couple of new players.

While the idea might sound bold, the former New Zealand coach does have a point.

With Colling now living in Scotland and Loffhagen humming and hawing over whether her future lies with netball or basketball, why not take a gamble on someone else? This is as good a time as any to blood a goal attack or possibly even two.

"The future is about the ones coming," Muir said. "The ones who want to put the work in. I am not saying Belinda [Colling] doesn't but to me the future is in the young ... they grow before your eyes.

"I think we have to look at this series as an opportunity and the public have to accept that. We want to stay close to Australia, in fact we want to beat Australia, but hanging on to something good could cost us dearly later."

The depth of shooting talent in New Zealand isn't exactly great.

There is a considerable gap between players such as Irene van Dyk, Colling and Loffhagen and the next tier which includes Angela Mitchell, Katie Ritchie and Anna Senio. But Muir insists they need to be given a chance.

"When are you going to use them, the year before the championships? You should be growing your team now."

Even against Australia?

"Yes. We have to give them court time where they suffer. You are not going to get any tougher than that.

"Why would you learn against England when you are going to go out and get something three times tougher when you play Australia?

"Ruth's lucky she has got the job for four years. When I had to make those sort of decisions I was going to be voted on the next year, every year."

Colling, the Silver Ferns' current starting goal attack, has just moved to Scotland with her rugby-playing partner, Charlie Hore.

Although she has indicated she is keen to continue playing for the Ferns, she has yet to decide whether she will return for the upcoming series.

The dynamic Loffhagen has just returned from Olympics where she was one of the standout players for the Tall Ferns.

Her presence on defence and accuracy under the hoop caught the eye of basketball scouts and it is understood she is sounding out overseas offers.

The 26 year-old has not played for the Silver Ferns since the 2002 Commonwealth Games and has had differences of opinion with Aitken.

Loffhagen has decided not to play in the national provincial netball championship and is understood to still be deciding whether she will make herself available for the Silver Ferns series against Australia.

Netball is very much on a high following the Silver Ferns' world championship win last year and the series whitewash over Australia in June.

But their chances of a second series win over Australia in November will be severely reduced if both Loffhagen and Colling are not available.

In the words of one fan on Netball New Zealand's website "we are stuffed" if that happens. This fan, however is a Loffhagen cheerleader and reckons all stops should be pulled out to keep her in New Zealand.

"I hope that anyone that knows her or is from Netball New Zealand is doing everything that can to entice her to stay. I wish I had some money to keep her here. We need her competitiveness," reads her entry.

Possibly so. But remembering both Loffhagen and Colling are in the latter stages of their careers and have already given a big chunk of their lives to netball, maybe it is time to look ahead in preparation for the 2006 Commonwealth Games and next world championships.

"You have to have a succession plan," Muir said. "When I was coaching if you assumed a player wasn't going to make the next world championship then you had to do something about it and give other players court time.

"I think I was able to do that in my 15 years of coaching the New Zealand team but I do think it is hard now because the public want you to win today.

"There are no fun little games tucked away overseas, where the public don't know the score and you can get that kid on ...

"A new person is going to come on and it is all going to hang out. They are not going to be quite so good to start with - but persevere with them.

"If you look at cricket about six years ago they were discarding players like old socks. Now they have stabilised and have done well ... It is the same thing. We are wanting instant success and it is pretty hard to achieve that."

24 players invited to attend national camp



Shooter GS

Irene van Dyk (Silver Fern)

Jodi Te Huna (Silver Fern)

Jessica Tuki (NZ U21 squad),



GA

Angela Mitchell (NZ squad)

Anna Senio (Academy squad)

Brigette Tapene (NZ U21 squad)

Maria Tutaia (NZ U21 squad)





Defence

Vilimaina Davu (Silver Fern)

Sheryl Scanlan (Silver Fern)

Joline Henry (Silver Fern)

Anna Scarlett (Silver Fern)

Anna Galvan (NZ A team)

Leana du Plooy (NZ squad)

Stephanie Bond (Academy squad),

Casey Williams (Academy squad)



Midcourt

Temepara Clark (Silver Fern)

Adine Harper (Silver Fern)

Lesley Nicol (Silver Fern)

Victoria Edward (Silver Fern)

Krystal Feterika-Opetaia (Academy)

Laura Langman (NZ squad)

Allison Shanks (NZ A team)

Angelina Yates (Academy)

Debbie White (Academy)