Netball: Australia aim to close gap on Silver Ferns

Skipper Liz Ellis is confident five months is enough to turn around Australia's fortunes after a record netball loss to world champions New Zealand at the weekend.

The Silver Ferns scored their biggest win in the 67-year history of trans-Tasman tests with a 61-36 humbling of their greatest rivals in Auckland on Saturday night.

The next meeting between world netball's top two is scheduled for Melbourne in March, when the Australians will be gunning for their third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal.

While the Silver Ferns will now go into that tournament as hot favourites, Ellis there was time enough to close the gap.

"Absolutely, if we went into the next five months thinking that we couldn't do that, we shouldn't be there," she said.

"You go into any preparation for a major tournament with all the confidence that you can do it."

Ellis said her side's performance at Trusts Stadium was not an accurate reflection of the talent in the Australian squad.

"We probably didn't stick to the game plan and the moment you deviate from that is when you get hammered," she said.

"The key to success is work and we've got 15 to 20 girls prepared to put in the hard work, so we'll be in there in March next year."

For Ellis, 32, the test was her 105th, giving her sole possession of the Australian record for most caps, which she had shared with former skipper Vicki Wilson.

But the occasion ended up being a big disappointment for her.

Apart from the one-sided result, she watched most of the encounter from the sidelines.

Ellis had to be helped off the court midway though the first quarter after landing awkwardly and suffering a knee injury.

She returned to Australia yesterday while her team headed to Jamaica for further buildup games.

Ellis has a torn knee ligament which does put her in doubt for the Games.

She was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and was to see a knee orthopaedic surgeon today to determine what treatment is required.

"It is a major blow that we have lost our captain, who is not only a great leader but also a great player, but the team now has to concentrate on the matches ahead and build upon their performance (from Saturday night)," Australian coach Norma Plummer.

Vice-captain Sharelle McMahon was promoted to captain for the rest of the tour while coach Plummer called in Melbourne Kestrels defender Rebecca Strachan to replace Ellis in the squad.

Plummer said what made New Zealand so good at the present was the understanding among their players.

Since coming into the job two years ago, Plummer has seen Australia lose six and win just two of their clashes with the Silver Ferns.

"They've got speed, height and agility, and the ability to blend with one another," she said.

"That just shows. You can see the understanding is out there and they're really nailing it at the moment."

Plummer believed Australian netball had suffered from the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

The profile that basketball got from that event meant they were attracting young talent that might otherwise have gone to netball.

She was certain her squad would "give it a nudge" against New Zealand come the Commonwealth Games, especially with players coming back from injury.

However, she agreed that New Zealand had greater depth at the moment.

She pointed to the New Zealand under-21 side's victory in the World Youth Cup in Miami in July as one indicator.

Plummer succeeded Jill McIntosh after the 2003 world championship, when Australia faced rebuilding after the retirement of key players, including skipper Kathryn Harby-Williams.

"I knew when I took over the job that we would drop down a bit and then there are the injuries coming on top," she said.

"But it's about building that up. There're still some good kids out there. They have to realise they can get out there and do it."

A measure of the depth in the Silver Fern squad was sight of four world championship winners sitting on the bench during the third quarter -- former skippers Anna Rowberry and Belinda Colling, and Anna Scarlett and Sheryl Scanlan.

Both Australia and New Zealand continue their preparations for Melbourne with trips to Jamaica.

The Silver Ferns' itinerary next month comprises two tests against Jamaica and one against Barbados.

- NZPA