Netball: Welsh work hard aiming for top 10

By JULIE ASH

While she expects New Zealand and Australia to battle it out for the silverware at the world championships, getting her own team into the top 10 is the aim of Welsh coach Raewyn Henry.

Auckland's Henry has coached Wales for the last three and a half years and with her reign ending after July's world championships in Jamaica, Henry would love to see Wales break into the top 10.

"We are 14th at the moment, but we are hoping to get into the top 10 and that is going to be a bit of a challenge for us," she said. "But the girls are keen and have worked hard and we have got the best team we could possibly get. So hopefully we can do it."

Going into the tournament only the top eight teams are placed in pools and the rest have to qualify.

"I still think it will come down to either New Zealand or Australia,' Henry said. "I don't think England will be there."

But while Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken had an army of players to choose from for her world championship squad, Henry wasn't quite as lucky.

"The team is young but they have had experience at the Commonwealth Games," she said.

"There is not a huge amount of depth, but considering I struggled to get 12 when I first started, it has certainly got better."

Married to Blues technical analyst Graham Henry, she accompanied her husband to Cardiff when he was appointed coach of the Welsh rugby team in 1998.

"When Graham went over there they [Welsh Netball] wrote to me and asked if I would like to coach. I started off coaching an area side, a bit like one of our provincial sides here, and that was a bit of a shock in terms of the level of professionalism and attitude."

With the arrival of Henry and former Silver Fern coach Leigh Gibbs, who spent two years in Wales in 2001-2002 developing their high performance programme, Welsh netball was transformed.

"There are a lot of systems in place now," Henry said. "Players that wouldn't have been recognised are now more recognised."

Henry took over as Welsh coach in 2000. Under her guidance they were crowned 2001 European Champions and qualified for last year's Commonwealth Games, where they finished sixth.

"We don't have the money to compete in many international fixtures. We play Scotland, which we are trying to make into an annual event. Northern Ireland are also becoming a lot stronger."

Without an elite or provincial competition Henry relies on club games to find international players.

"There is a club competition in Cardiff where most of our squad play. Some play in England and some at university. Netball is not as serious as in New Zealand and there are big gaps between the players."

Henry is one of several New Zealanders coaching international teams.

Yvonne Willering is with Fiji, Rita Fatialofa is Samoa's coach, Georgie Salter the Cook Islands, Tania Karauria is with Niue and Lynn Gunson and Waimarama Taumaunu are guiding England.