Netball: The power of three

The North Harbour Force have an unusual setup with a captain in each third of the court. JULIE ASH spoke to each of them about how they plan to beat defending champions the Sting in the final round this weekend.

DEFENCE

Good judgment and plenty of communication is what defence captain Linda Vagana believes is needed to stifle the Sting's attack.

Extremely mobile and accurate under the hoop, the Sting's shooting combination of Donna Loffhagen and Natalie Avellino are probably the strongest in the competition.

"It is trying not to get drawn to one single player but looking for the ball in flight," Vagana said.

"Having seen a couple of the Sting's games the teams that have played them have missed a lot of opportunities to pick up some ball."

Avellino has been a real asset for the Sting since replacing the injured Tania Dalton. A tireless worker, the Australian is extremely good at working the ball in and out and around the circle.

"They have always got an outlet and there needs to be pressure on that," Vagana said.

She also said the Force needed to be aware of Loffhagen's strength not only on attack but also on defence.

What the Force do have in their favour is plenty of defensive options with Vagana, Sheryl Scanlan, Kate Dowling and Matila Waqanidrola.

"The Sting are not playing super netball, it is just they are very patient ... they pass it around like they have all the time in the world," Vagana said.

"Whereas we are quite frantic because we have got speed through midcourt and everyone tries to play at that speed instead of using each other's strengths."

MIDCOURT

A lack of flow through the midcourt has caused the Force some grief in recent weeks.

They are often tentative and a little wayward in their passing, an area that the midcourt captain, and the team's overall leader, Temepara Clark said they had spent a lot of time working on.

In comparison the Sting middies, Adine Harper and Lesley Nicol, possibly have the most perfect timing in the competition, particularly when it comes to feeding their shooters.

"It is about upsetting that timing," Clark said.

"If we can change their timing through the midcourt it will hopefully frustrate them then maybe we'll be able to get some ball.

"But the thing is they are very patient and are happy to throw it around rather than force it in."

The Sting also apply an extremely effective midcourt zone which generally grinds most teams to a halt.

"Les [Nicol] just goes and goes and goes. Wing defence Wendy Telfer is very physical and she is always here, there and everywhere. She is also a good communicator and is always yabbering, yabbering, yabbering," Clark said.

"They are definitely beatable but the thing is we can't make errors. For us it is going to be all about consistency and keeping our own possession."

ATTACK

Attack captain Teresa Tairi expects nothing but a bruising encounter with Sting defenders Anna Galvan and Jenny Ferguson.

Renowned for their physical approach, especially Galvan who doesn't given her opponents an inch, Tairi said the Force shooters are going to have to be on their game both physically and mentally.

"Anna is quite experienced at working on the player physically so we can't get caught running and are going to have to show good space for our feeders.

"The Sting defence is pass orientated and just work and work to grind you down.

"They try and get inside your head and physically try and play you out of the game. You have to work for every ball."

Tairi said it was going to be essential that she and her fellow attackers followed through on defence.

"We can't afford for it to get to into their attacking third because Donna [Loffhagen] is just so hot at the moment.

"We are going to have to try and get the ball in the midcourt. We can beat them ... it is just a matter of being accurate on attack and defence."

National Bank Cup squads and draw