Netball: So much steel behind victory

By RICHARD BOOCK

Belinda Colling's drained features told one of many stories after the Silver Ferns finally wrested the world championship title from Australia's grasp yesterday.

The rock on which New Zealand's highly effective attack end was founded, Colling was forced to deal with a gamut of emotions in Jamaica after the death of her uncle Lin, a former All Black, last week.

The poignant scenes as she threw herself about the court yesterday, creating chaos in the Australian defence and a match-winning combination with Irene van Dyk, will remain one of the most enduring memories of the final.

It wasn't always symmetry and light, as this was an arm-wrestle of a showdown, marked by New Zealand's slight edge in all three thirds and Australia's street nous and sheer cunning.

On a day in which Australia tried every trick in the book, Colling's confidence and experience shone through like a Caribbean sunrise, her matter-of-fact approach ensuring that the bulk of New Zealand's possession was successfully converted.

There was steel in her bearing, courage in her heart, and a court-awareness that made her much too strong for either Kathryn Harby-Williams or Liz Ellis.

It was just one of the stories that made yesterday's long-overdue world championship success so special, in that all seven New Zealand starters could reflect on a trail of sacrifice and uncertainty.

Van Dyk and Fijian goal keeping colossus Vilimaina Davu had to adjust to a new country and contend with accusations that they were one-dimensional players, and skipper Anna Rowberry spent 15 months in the wilderness after being dropped by former coach Yvonne Willering.

Temepara Clark was also challenged to bounce back after being axed, and responded so strongly yesterday that she would now be regarded as the best centre in the world - despite being sent off by a disbelieving umpire.

Then there was Lesley Nicol, a survivor of New Zealand's two previous campaigns, who was finally able to shake off the "nearly" tag and feel the delight of winning a championship title first-hand.

And livewire goal defence Sheryl Clarke managed to emerge from the shadow cast by predecessors Bernice Mene and Belinda Charteris, starring in her own right yesterday as she pounced on a stream of intercepts.

But the backdrop to Colling's effort was a remarkable story of resilience and character, traits that were also carried by her uncle Lin (an All Black halfback) and father Don (a long-serving Otago captain).

When people talk about the baggage carried around by the Silver Ferns, she knows all too well the details, after being caught in the train wrecks that were the 1995 and 1999 world championship campaigns.

Colling's major problem throughout her netball career was that she was more of a distributor than a shooter, a habit that wasn't necessarily good news for her team if the opposition twigged.

Savvy coaches would force her to shoot by double-teaming her partner, and too often the ruse would pay dividends.

It was much the same at the 1999 world championships in Christchurch, when Donna Loffhagen muffed the last, potentially match-winning goal. She will always be remembered for that, but overall it was Colling who struggled with her shooting most.

This time, however, she returned to the tournament as a changed player, and the death of her uncle only seemed to steel her resolve as New Zealand cemented their ranking as the best team in the world.

Her shooting has improved immeasurably, making New Zealand's attack end far more potent.

And so the trend continued yesterday. When Ellis, who often attempted to bolster her decreasing influence with gamesmanship, and Harby-Williams collapsed on to van Dyk, Colling would invariably nail the open shot, much to Australia's consternation.

And when the opposition tried to mug Colling in an effort to stop her shooting or passing, she would consistently find a way to thread the ball through to van Dyk.

By the time the final whistle went, Harby-Williams had been subbed off and Ellis' face told the story of a bridge too far.

It was a triumph for Colling, not that she seemed to be celebrating too hard. Understandably, she probably had other things on her mind.