Louisa Wall: Public add spice to Silver Ferns' trial

Last Sunday netball fans had a wonderful opportunity to see their favourite players in action in the first trial match open to the public.

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken hoped that this environment would "add a bit of extra spice for the players" and maybe the selectors too.

I tend to agree.

And the crowd certainly got its money's worth with a battle ensuing, especially in the much publicised mid-court where six of the eight were current and former Silver Ferns, and of the remaining two, one was a member of the world champion New Zealand Under-21 team.

The other, Otago centre Debbie White, who was "blown away" when she heard her name called as one of the Silver Ferns' trialists is a relative newcomer to this level of competition.

The 21 trialists battled most of the day to gain selection in a 12-player team to play the Australians in the Fisher and Paykel Cup and to tour to Jamaica in November.

And the winners were previous captain Anna Rowberry, fully fit and raring to go, Leana de Bruin, who played a wonderful game for Netball North in the final of the NPC against Waikato, and Belinda Colling, who obviously has the confidence of the coach and selectors to have returned from Scotland and the birth of her first child.

And, there is a kinda new kid on the block in Maria Tutaia, called in to the Silver Ferns earlier this year but yet to make her debut and member of the successful under-21 team. She is a young shooter with loads of talent and so the mix of players is fantastic.

And it is worth noting that Joline Henry and Sheryl Scanlan remain with the squad as cover for Casey Williams, who is awaiting a medical clearance.

Last year Aitken named two training partners when Laura Langman and Casey Williams were taken to Australia. And if you look at their improvement in the space of a season, the value of such selections is well merited. This year perhaps Scanlan or Henry will get a chance to stake their claim in the team.

And now we await the official announcement next month of the Commonwealth Games team.

The programme and preparation for the Commonwealth Games will be tough given the heart of the training will have to be conducted over Christmas and New Year.

I faced the same scenario in 1997 when as a member of the Wild Ducks, the inaugural New Zealand women's sevens rugby team to the Hong Kong tournament, we had to train and play during the hottest periods on tough terrain.

At least the Silver Ferns won't have to worry about grass burns.

But the players will have to be incredibly disciplined given the festive season with the programme post-Jamaica, which is looking very busy.

In December-February there will be weekly training sessions with the players based on a North/South Island split.

Then there is a five-day camp organised from January 18-22. From February 14-20 the team will play matches in Adelaide.

Then the team will head to Melbourne in March for a week before the Games start and they will train and play against the New Zealand A team.

Then it will be back to New Zealand to the National Bank Cup.

How exciting for this group of talented athletes and with the competition for Silver Fern places high, all looks good for the Netball NZ trophy cabinet.

So first things first - we have the Aussies to beat to claim the Fisher & Paykel Cup. It is always a tough ask but all the signs are good for another Silver Ferns' victory.

* Louisa Wall is a former New Zealand netball and rugby representative