Netball: Colling's confidence shoots down Proteas

By Suzanne MacFadden

South African netball needs a Belinda Colling.

The Silver Ferns captain epitomised everything the Proteas lacked in their first test clobbering three days ago.

In a class New Zealand act, goal-attack Colling was the star. She was asked before the game to play a more aggressive role in the shooting, and outpointed the country's top goal-shoot, Donna Loffhagen.

Colling swished in 41 goals - more than the entire South African team.

In fact, the two Protea goal attacks scored a measly four goals between them.

South Africa desperately need to find another shooter in the very near future - like tonight. Defences around the world have figured out that the legendary Irene van Dyk takes 98 per cent of the shots at goal - and succeeds with the same percentage - but they simply sit on her.

The Proteas need to exude the same drive and confidence as Colling in tonight's second test.

She gives new meaning to the captain's knock: in the literal sense of the word, she rolls with the pushes and hip shoves, and does not back off.

So the South Africans have slid backwards over the past four years. But the Silver Ferns have got so much better.

Immediately after the first test walloping, Ferns coach Yvonne Willering was afraid to praise her team too highly. Her old catch-phrases still came sneaking out - the "plenty of room for improvement" and "sold ourselves short." Yet there was little to criticise about the New Zealand game.

Sure, they lost focus in the final quarter, but when you are already 30 goals up and there is not much resistance coming from the opposition it is an easy failing.

Van Dyk, the only player the Ferns would have truly feared, called the home team "absolutely brilliant."

Most of the Silver Ferns have been together for at least 20 tests now. And it's amazing what one win against Australia can do for a girl's confidence.

The South Africans, on the other hand, are more on the green side than the gold right now.

To improve in tonight's test they should revert back to their old style of netball - huge, lobbing passes into the safe arms of van Dyk.

That is the way they kicked New Zealand out of the last world championships, yet now they are trying to play a short passing game they are obviously uncomfortable with.

But the South Africans know they are on hiding to nothing this year. They are ranked No 2 in the world, but realistically they know they could not live up to that in September. There are 40 goals between them and the best in the world.