Netball: Ferns keep winning lineup for bid at whitewash

By JULIE ASH

With a clean sweep over arch-rivals Australia within the Silver Ferns' grasp, don't expect too many changes in the starting seven for tonight's final test in Hamilton.

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken and her assistant, Leigh Gibbs, have used the same nine players over the two tests, with shooter Jodi Te Huna, and defenders Anna Scarlett and Joline Henry, who is still awaiting her first cap, staying on the bench.

It has been the team's philosophy to use more than seven players during the series, but a clean sweep over Australia is also a priority.

New Zealand have achieved such a feat against Australia just twice since 1938 - once in 1981 and again in 1989.

"It is a bit of a balancing act," said Gibbs, who was a member of the New Zealand side in 1981.

"It is balancing changing combinations versus results, I suppose. We want to blend the two ... we want to be able to do both."

Silver Ferns captain Anna Rowberry sat out training yesterday with a slight calf strain, but is expected to be fit for tonight's match.

After a scrappy 54-45 win over Australia in the first test, the Silver Ferns were lucky to escape with a 52-50 win in the second test when the Australians almost stole the show in the last quarter.

The Silver Ferns have struggled with Australia's torrid one-on-one defence.

The New Zealanders showed some improvement in the first half of the second test but let it get to them in the latter stages of the game.

"It is just ensuring that we have a range of strategies on attack and that it is not just looking at the long ball in," Gibbs said.

"It is making sure that we can get that ball to the circle edge and having a different sort of look about the inner circle. Basically it is ensuring that we can play it shorter and with some movement."

While New Zealand's defence, particularly Sheryl Scanlan, have performed well throughout the series, Gibbs said they were continuing to work on ways of shutting down Australia's mobile attack.

Although they lead the series 2-0, there has been plenty of criticism of the Silver Ferns' scrappy performances, especially considering that they are the world champions and Australia are in a rebuilding phase.

But Gibbs said Australia were always going to be competitive.

"If you look at the development opportunities that their players have had within their country, both at state level and through the Australian Institute of Sport, when their players come in as new faces to the top team they have tremendous amount of experience behind them."

The Australians had a session at Mystery Creek yesterday morning at which coach Norma Plummer would no doubt have drummed into her side the need for fewer errors.

The final test in Hamilton is live on TV One tonight from 7.30pm.

NEW ZEALAND
I. van Dyk
B. Colling
A. Harper
A. Rowberry
L Nicol
S. Scanlan
V. Davu

Substitutes: A. Scarlett, V. Edward, T. Clark, J. Te Huna and J. Henry.

AUSTRALIA
S. McMahon
C. Neele
J. Shynn
N. Chokljat
P. Scholz
L. Ellis
J. Ilitch

Substitutes: A. Broadbent, D. Fellowes, S. Meaney, K. Heinrich and B. Chatfield.