By Suzanne McFadden
Slow down, Silver Ferns, you step too fast.
The New Zealand netballers were caught on the hop too many times yesterday in their 67-36 win over a Jamaican selection - or half of the Jamaican test side they play in Kingston today.
The Ferns were constantly called for stepping and
struggled with local umpire interpretations.
Ferns' coach Yvonne Willering said: "I know some of us are a little sloppy on that.
"We play a very, very fast game through the midcourt, and sometimes it appears as though we're running with the ball. We've got to slow it down so it is more obvious that we're not."
Yesterday's match took on the traditional pattern of recent Silver Ferns' play - one lacklustre quarter which didn't match up to the others. In this game it was the second spell.
New Zealand sprinted out to a 22-6 lead in the first quarter, when Willering played a tried-and-true seven: Donna Loffhagen and Belinda Colling shooting; Anna Rowberry, Julie Seymour and Lesley Nicol in the middle; and Bernice Mene and Linda Vagana in the defence circle.
But they became too involved in the Jamaican fightback in the second quarter, winning it 11-9.
Willering was impressed with the gutsiness of the opposition - six of them are in today's Jamaican team.
"They were the least experienced ones in the Jamaican side, but they were good," she said.
"Their defence under the posts is really tall, and when you put them with their experienced goal attack, Connie Francis, I think they'll be quite a side.
"One thing that caught us out was their change in style. We have always expected them to play a long, aerial game but now they're playing it short. So the intercepts we got in the past are no longer there."
All 12 of the New Zealand touring team got court time yesterday and all survived their first game of netball in five months.
Two of the Ferns shooters, Donna Loffhagen and Noeline Taurua, shot 100 per cent quarters.
New Zealand and Jamaica play the first test at midday (NZ time), with the last international on Monday afternoon.
