Netball: Diamonds sharp for bridge battle

By DAVID LEGGATT

It hasn't quite got to the stage of sticking pins into the pictures of their Force opponents, but it's a fair bet that there has been a degree of head-scratching going on among the Diamonds players as they prepare for tomorrow night's showdown with their closest rivals.

The record in the past five years of National Bank Cup clashes between the two reads: Force five wins, Diamonds none. The closest margin was four, five years ago, the largest 15, in 2001.

Talk about a bogey team. That record rather mirrors the overall performances of the teams; the Force have reached the semifinals three times and finished fifth in the other two years. The Diamonds made the semifinals in the first two years and the past three years have finished sixth, seventh and sixth.

One Diamonds player who does know the feeling of toppling the North Shore franchise is Silver Ferns captain Anna Rowberry. She spent the first three years of the competition with the Rebels, and the Dunedin team beat the Diamonds every time.

"This year the Force are quite formidable right through," she said. "They have a lot of experience in the side. This will be a huge step up but everyone's feeling pretty good after our win last weekend."

The Diamonds started their campaign with an impressive 52-46 win over the Rebels in Dunedin, and there was more significance in that scoreline than merely making a winning start.

A fortnight earlier, the Diamonds were tonked by 25 goals by the very same Rebels at a quadrangular pre-season tournament in Te Awamutu. The turnaround has been massively encouraging, says Rowberry.

"Te Awamutu was really disappointing. We weren't really happy with our performances and it's taken a while to gel. But everyone worked hard as a team, worked for each other and lifted their intensity."

The reward spoke for itself. The Diamonds have a new coach this season, in former Silver Fern and top-rated umpire Joan Hodson , but although Rowberry has high praise for Hodson's contribution, she doesn't see a correlation between a new coach and any change in desire or philosophy in the players. The initial goal - making the semifinals - is no different.

"Joan has huge knowledge and it's great to have someone bring that experience to the game.

"But I don't think that feeling ever changes. You've always got that goal of making the top four, and making the final. A coach doesn't change that perspective. Ultimately that comes from the players."

The Diamonds have only four players from last year's squad back - Rowberry, versatile attacker Kiri Adams, goal keep Katie Fay and 17-year-old goal attack Brigette Tapene. By contrast, all but three of the Force squad were there last year.

Rowberry knows as well as the Diamonds did last weekend that this is, as she put it, "a new round, new game, new opposition".

At Unitec Stadium tomorrow, shutting down the service into tall goal shoot Daneka Wipiiti would be a good start for the Diamonds, but there is more to beating the Force than just that, she acknowledged.

It is up to the individual players to ensure they outplay their opponents. If all seven do that the Diamonds will win. Say it quickly and it sounds simple.

But they face a defence anchored by former Silver Ferns Linda Vagana and Lorna Suafoa and current squad member Sheryl Clarke; a midfield including lively international Temepara Clark and Academy and national under-21 squad members Nicolette Ropati, Kate Dowling and Kimberley Horton; and in the attack, Wipiiti and former international Teresa Tairi.

Rowberry, 27, seems sure to retain the Silver Ferns captaincy for the domestic series against England and the world championships in Jamaica in July but she is not about to get too far ahead of herself.

National coach Ruth Aitken has insisted she has an open mind about her 12 for the worlds so ...

"You can't look too far into the future," said Rowberry. "If you do, you can lose sight of your role within your franchise side. It's important to stay in the present."

The Diamonds' win last weekend gave the competition an early surprise; victory over the Force will raise more than a few eyebrows. But it might be best not to hold your breath.