Netball: Plenty of options for captaincy

JULIE ASH takes a look at the special qualities of the most likely challengers for the job of filling Bernice Mene's shoes as leader of the Silver Ferns.

When the Silver Ferns take the court against Jamaica in less than a month, not only will there be a new coach and a new defensive lineup, there will also be a new captain.

With Bernice Mene's retirement, the job of Silver Ferns skipper is up for grabs.

While no one player immediately springs to mind, a closer look at the national squad shows there is a handful of players with the credentials to lead the side through to next year's world championships.

In the national squad, Belinda Colling and Lesley Nicol have both captained the Silver Ferns.

Sheryl Clarke has captained Samoa, Irene van Dyk has led South Africa and Adine Harper has skippered the New Zealand Youth side.

There are also several other players, such as Anna Rowberry and Jenny-May Coffin, who have captained provincial or franchise teams.

The most likely contenders for the job are Colling, Nicol and veteran mid-court player Julie Seymour.

Christchurch's Colling, 26, captained the Silver Ferns between 1997 and 1999.

While there is no doubt she is a natural leader, the problem for her is cementing a place in the starting lineup.

"I like leading, I feel I am a bit of a leader, a bit bossy; I love being involved in the team. But, for me, I don't have to have a title to do that," Colling said.

"I am not thinking about captaincy at the moment, however. I am thinking about putting two shoes on and standing on the court and playing my game.

"The captaincy issue will fall into place later in the picture."

Nicol, 28, of Otago, led the side in 1996 and 1997 and has been vice-captain for the past 18 months.

She was unavailable for the last series against Australia in October because she was sitting medical exams.

Linda Vagana took over as vice-captain.

"I haven't really thought about the captaincy; just getting back in the team is the biggest obstacle for me to overcome at this stage," Nicol said.

A tireless worker, Nicol has been the rock in the Silver Ferns mid-court defence since her debut in 1993.

Seymour, 30, of the Canterbury Flames, could be the strongest contender for the job - depending on how long she intends to commit herself to netball on the international stage.

After taking a year off for the birth of her son, Seymour slipped back into the national side in October for the Australian series, in which she immediately made an impact.

Voted the outstanding player of the 1999 world championships and the 2000 Coca-Cola Cup, Seymour made her international debut in 1994.

Long-shots for the job could be Coffin, Belinda Charteris and even van Dyk.

Coffin, 27, is a strong mid-courter who led Waikato to back-to-back NPC titles in 1999 and 2000, and has been in the New Zealand squad since 1997.

But with only 11 caps, lack of experience will probably count against her.

Canterbury's Charteris played 51 games for the Silver Ferns between 1994-2000.

The 29-year-old defender took most of last year off for the birth of her son.

Wellington's van Dyk, 29, played 72 games for South Africa before making her debut for New Zealand against Australia in 2000.

She has been first-choice goal shooter since and has played close to 20 games for the Silver Ferns.

With an average of 90 per cent, she also helped the Shakers to reach the semifinals in the Coca-Cola Cup for the past two years.

With a number of options available, new Silver Fern coach Ruth Aitken said she might lean towards giving a number of players responsibilities within the team.

"I think we are lucky that we have good leadership skills within the squad," she said. "I think there are a huge range of options available to me."

"I would be keen to perhaps involve a number of players in a leadership role.

"But that doesn't take away from the captain: it is such a big role these days that if we can share the load, that's great."

Aitken said she was looking for a captain who was secure in herself, open, honest and a good leader on and off the court.

"I think that's a special quality of a captain - to be able to help others to produce their best."

Aitken names the Silver Ferns team and captain for next month's Jamaican series on Monday.