Laura Langman admits to feeling panic at a positional switch in Magic's bid for glory, writes Dana Johannsen
KEY POINTS:
Ask Magic midcourter Laura Langman what was going through her mind when she found out she'd be playing wing-attack in their sudden death match-up against the Adelaide Thunderbirds, and you'll get a brutally honest answer: "Panic".
She can laugh about it now, but Langman admits there was a
fair bit of hyperventilating going on when her coach told her she was going to be playing a position she'd never played before. "I was very nervous at first. That was my first ever game at wing-attack, so I was a wee bit worried about how I'd go," the young Silver Fern star said.
It's hard to imagine Langman, who appears fearless on the netball court and is as happy-go-lucky as they come, getting herself tied up in knots over a positional switch. But it's understandable when you consider the circumstances.
It was a drastic move for Langman who started out her career as wing-defence. Though more recently she has been used at centre, Langman, who has 33 test caps to her name, is considered more of a defensive centre.
On top of that Langman was forced to make the switch in a do-or-die situation, knowing that if she made a mess of the job, it would spell the end of the Magic's season.
But testament to Langman's athleticism and netballing nous, the 22-year-old slotted into her new role seamlessly, opening up the Magic attack with her exceptional pace and strong movement.
Magic coach Noeline Taurua, who admitted she was a wee bit nervous herself about tweaking the midcourt line, believes her young charge coped superbly.
"She really lifted the tempo - her pass and cuts were wicked, and it was really fast through court," Taurua said. "With her feeding I actually think she had more care and probably more thinking as to how she was going to feed that circle."
Langman herself is a bit more low-key about how she thought she went.
"Let's just say there's definitely room for improvement," she said. "It was something different, that's for sure, and it did provide a huge challenge for me."
Having now played all three midcourt positions at an elite level, Langman will be a key part of the Silver Ferns side for this year's international series, with the national side lacking in depth in the midcourt department.
Langman said it's too early to say if she'll be taking up the wing-attack role more permanently, but joked she is worried about getting shunted from position to position.
"I'm hoping I'm not going to turn in to one of these jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none, which I'm a little bit concerned about. But hey, we've got bigger things to worry about right now."
Among those "bigger things" Langman refers to is, of course, this Monday's grand final showdown in Sydney against the New South Wales Swifts.
The Magic have an enormous challenge ahead of them if they are to claim the inaugural ANZ Championship crown. The Swifts have already beaten the Magic twice this season, including a tense 57-56 win two weeks ago to earn direct passage to the final.
And, as if they needed any more daunting statistics, no New Zealand side has recorded a win on Australian soil this year.
Langman said rather than dwelling on the negatives, her side are very excited about having another chance to knock over the Swifts and play their way into the history books as the first winners of the transtasman league.
"Obviously it's going to be a pretty intense match over there, especially being in Aussie. But I think everyone is really buzzing after our game against Thunderbirds so we're really just hoping to pull it through," she said.
To prepare for the clash, the Magic have dug out the footage from their previous match-ups against the Swifts. For Langman, it may prove to be a painful experience as it will force her to relive their gut-wrenching one-goal semifinal loss to the Swifts.
But she expects it will only spur her side on even more.
"That was a huge disappointment and gutting loss, but there's nothing like something like that to give you a kick in the pants so it could be a good reminder for us."
Langman said she is still not sure where she'll be playing on Monday, but no matter which bib she's wearing, she can bank on a tough match-up against shrewd midcourters Kimberlee Green, who is expected to make the step up to test level this year, and former international Selina Gilsenan.
Either way Langman said she'll be ready.
"It'll be interesting to see what Noels does with us this week."
"But I'll definitely be a wee bit more prepared this time round if Noels says 'righto, I'm chucking you in at wing-attack'."
No panicking then?
"Oh, maybe just a wee bit."
LAURA LANGMAN
Born: 16/04/1986, Hamilton
Height: 1.73m
Positions: WD, C, WA
Test Caps: 33
