Netball: Fit midcourters critical to campaign says Gunson

By JULIE ASH at the World Champs

The fitness of key midcourters Anna Rowberry and Temepara Clark could be the difference between New Zealand winning or losing the world title, according to England coach Lyn Gunson.

Gunson watched her team put on a brave first-half performance before going down 60-41 in Kingston, Jamaica yesterday.

Wing attack and captain Rowberry was replaced at halftime, partially as a tactical move but also because she is suffering from a calf strain which has plagued her for some time, while centre Clark was taken off late in the game with an ankle injury.

Both are expected to be fit for the Silver Ferns last pool match against Fiji today.

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken said the subbing of Rowberry and Clark was "precautionary".

"It is important that Anna doesn't overdo it at this stage but I wanted to make that change into that style of game anyway.

"With Temepara she would have been keen to get up and keep playing but I felt that it was important that our physio didn't have to remedy some extra stress on it because she played for five more minutes. I want to make sure all my players are available from here on in," she said.

To reinforce the point, former Silver Fern star Gunson said the fitness of the two would be vital if New Zealand were to progress to the final.

"I believe the team with the best midcourt is going to win the tournament," she said.

"Most teams have got shooters who average 90 per cent each game, which means it is going to be the ball distribution through the midcourt that will make the difference."

Before a boisterous crowd, a fired up and physical English side trailed New Zealand by 14-11 in the first quarter and by 24-21 at halftime.

"Come on England, Van Dyk don't miss mon," were the words of wisdom of one Jamaican fan who was keen to see the English topple the Kiwis.

Even the Australian team who were playing South Africa on the court next door were often caught glancing at the New Zealand game.

A few controversial umpiring calls throughout the match along with the physical nature of the game seemed to unsettle the New Zealanders, which allowed mistakes to creep into their game.

The introduction of Adine Harper into wing attack at halftime seemed to lift the team and helped the flow of the ball through the court.

Aitken said: "In that third quarter we just powered on through. I think that there was a step up in the resolve to make things a bit more accurate and to dust off the stuff they can't control like the knocks and some of the umpires calls which are different than what we are used to.

"I think they decided they better start sorting things out.

"Certainly Adine's inclusion changed the style in the third quarter which seemed to work well as well."

The New Zealand defensive combination of Vilimaina Davu and Sheryl Clarke performed well against the considerably taller English shooter, Alex Astle, while Lesley Nicol, playing her 99th game for New Zealand, also had a strong match.

"It was a very polished performance from them," Gunson said. "They did their homework, they worked hard tactically but I expected that."

Gunson believes the winning of the tournament lies, in part, with what the best teams have on the bench, as well as on the court.

"I think Australia have got a good side in that they can bring on fresh players, New Zealand are still developing that and have a few gaps.

"(Australia, New Zealand and Jamaica) play quite different styles and so whoever is going to be able to manage the tactical changes - and I think Australia have got a pretty strong side for that - should prevail."

Australia beat South Africa 64-37 in a messy game, needing three-quarters of the game to finally subdue determined opponents.

"South Africa have improved a lot since we played them earlier in the year," Australian captain Kathryn Harby-Williams said.

"They really bottled us up with their defence and therefore we struggled to get any system and flow through our forward line but it was a good, tough encounter which is just what we needed before we come across Jamaica."

* TV details: TVOne, live from noon, highlights 5pm.