Netball: Australian Coach full of praise for the Silver Ferns

Norma Plummer

Australian coach Norma Plummer has paid the Silver Ferns the ultimate compliment before tonight's second and final test in Sydney, labelling them the best New Zealand team she has seen.

Australia suffered their fourth consecutive loss to New Zealand on Saturday, losing the first test 52-40 in Brisbane.

The Australians struggled against the New Zealanders in each third of the court but were particularly woeful on attack, where they gifted the Silver Ferns far too much possession.

"The sad part about it was that it wasn't so much their defence, it was unforced errors. We had the players in the spaces and the ball went over the top of their heads," Plummer said.

"That was unacceptable, really. That is anxiousness. We know our mistakes but we know where we won out too."

The Australian team held a "soul- searching" meeting the day after the test. Plummer would not reveal what came out of it but insists the mood in the team is good.

"There is no animosity or anything, ... the team is good. They know they have got it there, they just have to cut down the anxiousness and play the game.

"New Zealand have probably got the best team I have ever seen them line up with on court. You have got to appreciate that they are a class side at the moment.

"We are still able to close that gap. We still had a couple of quarters that were okay. We just have to be able to put it together for four [quarters] and take it on.

"We are not walking away from it. I am putting my reputation on the line, I am coming up against more losses I have ever had in my career."

This must be worrying a year out from the World Championships.

"There is no point worrying about it. I am moving forward. We have to get the team on court to work."

The Australians have to believe they can turn things around. The key for them tonight will be trying to upset the Silver Ferns' flow through the court and into their shooters while at the other end they will be looking to emulate the Ferns' shooting accuracy.

Plummer concedes her team are lacking height.

"We haven't got height anywhere. I have got young Susan Fuhrmann and depending on how things pan out I might get her out there now."

Plummer said she wasn't tempted to put her on on Saturday night "because it wasn't our backline that lost it ... it was all the turnovers in the forward end".

Plummer doesn't believe her shooters are psyched out by the New Zealand defence.

"I think they are anxious because they want to do well but instead of sticking to the basics and letting their game build, they are inclined to start trying to do too much instead of letting everyone do their own job."

Both sides are expected to tinker with their lineups in tonight's match.

With October's three-test series in New Zealand, the last between the two sides before next year's world championships, the opportunities to trial players in the cauldron that is transtasman netball are coming to an end.

Silver Ferns assistant coach Leigh Gibbs said New Zealand were fortunate they could look at changes not because they were failing but because they wanted to push further.

The big question for tonight's game is whether they feel confident enough to sub Irene van Dyk.

Gibbs said: "We certainly are going to look at the combinations and what we can do to take our game further."