Netball: Vagana is ready for final tilt

By JULIE ASH

Just as well Auckland's Massey High School had trendy netball uniforms back in the 80s. Otherwise one of this country's best defenders could have been lost to another sport.

Like her famous league cousins Joe and Nigel Vagana, Silver Fern Linda Vagana was a natural on the sportsfield.

But when her schoolwork started to slip and she had to decide on one sport, netball won out - just.

"The only reason I chose netball was because Massey High School had the coolest netball uniforms - the decision was easy," she laughs.

And it was that decision which launched Vagana's career, which includes 53 games for the Silver Ferns.

A regular in the national side since 1996, Vagana missed last month's tour of Jamaica because of work commitments.

With a series against Barbados and the Commonwealth Games looming, Vagana is still unsure if she will return to the game at international level.

"I want to see what my desire is like towards the end of the National Bank Cup.

"At the moment I am still enjoying it, and I am finding that I am still learning a lot. But I'm also able to pass knowledge on to the other girls.

"However, I have to think about what else I can offer Netball New Zealand.

"I don't want to go back into the team and be the same player I was last year. I want to go in there and know I can make a difference."

And there is still that desire to beat the Australians - something the Ferns came so close to achieving last year.

"How do we beat Australia? That's a tough one," she says.

"I believe there doesn't need to be a lot of changes. We just need to be a bit stronger and believe in ourselves."

After two rounds of the national league, Vagana's team, the Force, are at the top of the table after wins over the Canterbury Flames and the Capital Shakers.

The Force have always been strong on paper but have never won the competition.

"We don't want to get too complacent because I remember this time last year when we were at the top of the table, then we lost some games we shouldn't have.

"I am finding myself a lot more demanding this year because I know what the team are capable of.

"I'm sick of us being a really good team with really good players and not producing the goods.

"We thought we had it in us last year, but you have to want to win as a team. I am not saying there were people in the team that didn't want it, but there is a difference between saying it and really meaning it."

Vagana's first big break came when she made the Waitakere under-21s under the guidance of West Auckland coach Sheryl Hyndman.

"It felt like I was representing New Zealand when I found out I was in the Waitakere under-21s," she recalls. "I was a shooter until they needed someone tall down the other end, so they just chucked me down there."

Defending became Vagana's strength and she later teamed up with former Silver Ferns captain Bernice Mene to become one of the game's best defence combinations.

"Bernie's leadership and skills will be missed. Everyone was dependent on Bernie being on the court.

"Although there are players who have the potential to take the goal defence position, such as Sheryl Clarke, it is not as clear."

After representing Waitakere and North Harbour, Vagana's elevation to the Silver Ferns came in 1993. She was dropped in 1995, then won her place back in 1996.

She made her debut against the Cook Islands, playing alongside the likes of Joan Hodson, Leonie Leaver and Tanya Cox.

"I was so shocked just to have been in the New Zealand squad, let alone the team," she says. "To be in the same room as some of those players was amazing."

After eight years at the top, Vagana is the first to admit her time is nearly up, and what better way to end her career than with a league title and a Commonwealth Games gold medal.

"That would be nice. It would be really good to end on a high."

In this weekend's round, the Force play the Flyers, the Magic meet the Rebels, the Shakers clash with the Flames and the Sting play the Diamonds.

Just the facts

Name: Linda Vagana.

Age: 30.

Born: Auckland

Job: Marketing co-ordinator, Auckland University of Technology.

Height: 1.83m

Positions: Goal keep, goal defence.

Test caps: 53

Playing history: Waitakere 1990-95, North Harbour 1996-2002, Force 1998-2002; New Zealand under-21 1992 (world youth champions), Silver Fern 1993-94, 1996-2001.