Netball misses the bigger goal

By Richard Boock

Oh no, not again. Another transtasman battle to decide the world netball championship, another one-goal win to the Neighbours. Whichever way you look at it, it's hard to find an upside - unless you've got corks hanging from your Akubra.

The Silver Ferns' story was the latest twist on that old yarn about always being a bridesmaid. Of the players stunned by the 42-41 loss on Saturday night, five had played in the one-goal defeat against Australia in the 1995 semi-final, which followed another one-goal heartbreak in the 1991 final at Sydney.

And just like eight years ago, when a young Louisa Wall bore the brunt of the disappointment at Sydney after throwing New Zealand's last possession into Seat 113, Row G, this time goal-shoot Donna Loffhagen is being lined up as the scapegoat, after missing a straightforward (albeit pressure-packed) penalty shot and a chance to give her side a 42-41 lead.

History will recall later that her miss, and Sharelle McMahon's success at the other end of the court, decided the fate of the 10th world championships in Christchurch, when in actual fact a multitude of factors played a far greater part, not least the sprained ankle suffered by back-up shooter Adine Harper in the match against Trinidad last Wednesday.

This, as it happened, was probably one of the key influences in the final result.

Harper, unlike her shooting team-mates Loffhagen, Belinda Colling and Teresa Tairi, had taken every chance on offer during the tournament, proving more than useful at wing-attack, an able back-up shooter, and likely to play a part in the final if circumstances dictated.

That she didn't perhaps had more to do with her dodgy joint, because if ever New Zealand needed to get another shooter on to the court it was on Saturday night, when first Colling and then Loffhagen caught the yips - not just missing shots, but missing handy shots.

For most of the match it didn't matter too much as Australia were dogged by similar problems at the other end of the court. But in the end they snatched an initiative through coach Jill McIntosh, who first subbed McMahon on for goal-attack Jacqui Delaney, and then pulled her captain and goal-shoot Vicki Wilson off the court (in her 99th test) and sent in back-up shoot Jenny Borlase.

In contrast, the Ferns persevered with a shooting combination which had struggled for rhythm all tournament.

It's worth noting that the netball media - if there is such a thing - have been reminded ad nauseam during these championships that shooting is just one small part of a hard-working team effort, yet the fact remains in this bizarre little game that there are only two players in each side allowed to score, making their contribution fairly central to the outcome.

In Christchurch, as New Zealand's defensive play soared to new heights, their work in and around the goal-shooting circle began to get more hesitant, and this was noticeable during the runaway wins in the pool games, never mind the world championship final.

But at least there was a final. For most of the sides at the tournament, the chance of making the play-offs was a theoretical one only, as a lack of resources, funding and media coverage restricted the game's popularity and development at home.

Hopes of the sport expanding on a global scale were hardly furthered at this 10th jamboree of netball. Two sides withdrew on the eve of the tournament because of a lack of funding, the majority needed to dig into their own pockets to get here, and the well-resourced New Zealand and Australia teams retained their mortgage on the title.

Apart from those two sides, no one has won the championship outright before (although Trinidad claimed a share of first prize in 1979). If anything, the gap between the haves and the have-nots seems to have widened over the past few years - not necessarily because the weaker teams are being neglected, but because the leading sides are progressing so quickly.

England, for example, creamed $4.5 million off the top of the British lottery grants this year to boost their total take over the past 24 months to $7.5 million. They showed progress in Christchurch, turning in two strong efforts against the Australians to finish third, only the second time in 10 championships they have been placed better than fourth.

In contrast, national unions such as Ireland and Canada are so poor that their senior sides can seldom afford to play outside the world championship programme. The Irish cannot extend to even a tour of England, and the Canadians assemble only for the four-yearly tournament.

In fact, the only commercial support the Irish received recently came from an Australian company who supplied their tracksuits.

After Northern Ireland were beaten 92-26 by New Zealand last week, Irish coach Marian Lofthouse said that at least her side would not be ridiculed in the newspapers back home.

"It won't be in the newspaper," she said. "We'd be lucky [or unlucky in this case] to get the score printed."

So, leaving aside allegiances for the moment, it was perhaps a great shame for netball that Jamaica were unable to break the transtasman dominance in Christchurch, even if that would have meant a premature exit for either Australia or the Silver Ferns.

The Jamaicans not only brought a touch of controversy to the championships with their no-holds-barred attitude, they also brought their own distinctive style which, once it gains more acceptance from the umpires, has the potential to give this game another dimension.

Of the four best games at the championships, it was no coincidence that Jamaica were involved in three of them, as they mixed genuine determination with a compelling aerial game, and seemed to feed off the rough justice they often received from the match officials. The pity was they could not convert any of the close finishes into a win.

Instead, it was left for New Zealand and Australia to close this tournament, as has happened so many times before, with the defending champions eventually getting their hands on an eighth world title.

For an organisation striving to take netball to the world, the question remains, "so what?"