Netball: This time the Ferns are ready to mix it

By RICHARD BOOCK

You get the feeling that this might be the big one - the replay, the 1999 world championship final revisited.

An exchange of emphatic, knockout punches followed by a toe to toe, goal for goal cliffhanger - the showdown which has been brewing since that fateful Christchurch night two years ago. It promises so much.

Will the Silver Ferns cast off their world championship demons and win tonight's series decider at Christchurch's WestpacTrust Stadium, or will Australia's ability at crunch time prove decisive when the minutes start counting down, when the throats are dry?

For the past season or two, it seems, either one team or the other have been able to make a match-deciding break on their opponent, whether at Newcastle last year when New Zealand were demolished by 23 goals, or at Invercargill on Wednesday when Australia were outpointed by 11.

Then there was the Ferns' 15-goal win over the neighbours this year at Melbourne, and Australia's 10-goal reply a few days later at Sydney.

There have been closer calls, but it is interesting that in past seasons Australia have almost always emerged from the tight finishes with their noses in front, beating New Zealand by one goal in the past three world championship encounters.

But this one feels different. Everything points to the Australians responding tonight as they did in Sydney four months ago.

And everything points to Yvonne Willering's New Zealand side matching them in intensity, rather than crying foul over the nature of the contest.

If there was one thing that came out of Wednesday's second-test win it was that New Zealand - after years of hard labour - finally look like they have the tools to circumvent Australia's formidable defence, and to beat them in a three-test series for the first time since 1989.

However strong the tourists' backline of Liz Ellis and Kathryn Harby-Williams might be, the height advantage of Ferns shoot Irene van Dyk and her unerring accuracy around the circle have so far been the difference between the sides.

Australia will try to exert their defensive influence further up the court in an effort to disrupt the goal-shoot's lines of supply, because they know there is precious little they can do once the ball is at the edge of the circle.

Translated, this means the mother of all tussles through the mid-court, as Jill McIntosh's side try to stifle the pace which New Zealand have brought to their transition game.

If it does end up going goal for goal at the end, possibly the most interesting aspect will be whether New Zealand can keep their nerve in the last frantic moments.

The world champions received a taste of what Australians apparently thought of a losing performance on Wednesday night when the ABC pulled the plug on the live telecast more than three minutes before the end.

New Zealand were leading by six goals, but the Australians were fighting back gamely and the match could have gone either way.

Australian skipper Harby-Williams accused the ABC of hurting the professional profile of netball and said it would never have happened in any leading men's sport.

"We're starting to get some good public support and when things like this happen it's very disappointing from a player's perspective," she said. "It's not only detrimental to our team and the profile of our sport, it's an insult."

New Zealand: Bernice Mene (capt), Sheryl Clark, Jenny-May Coffin, Belinda Colling, Vilimana Davu, Victoria Edward, Temepara George, Adine Harper, Donna Loffhagen, Julie Seymour, Linda Vagana, Irene van Dyk.

Australia: Kathryn Harby-Williams (capt), Liz Ellis, Jane Altschwager, Alison Broadbent, Bianca Chatfield, Jacqui Delaney, Alex Hodge, Sharelle McMahon, Nicole Richardson, Rebecca Sanders, Eloise Southby, Peta Squire.