KEY POINTS:
England coach Sue Hawkins concedes there is no quick-fix to her side's attacking woes but is promising a much improved performance against the Silver Ferns in tonight's second test in Dunedin.
Plagued by the same frailties in the shooting end as in last week's 2-0 series loss in
Australia, the lacklustre English opened their New Zealand tour with a demoralising 65-26 loss on Monday night.
For some of the more established hands, the 39-goal loss was reminiscent of the gloomy days of English netball three or four years ago when they were regularly beaten by the Ferns and Australia by 30-plus goals.
The English appeared to have turned a corner in more recent times, announcing their arrival as a genuine threat in international netball with a historic 50-45 win over New Zealand in May last year.
Hawkins said England were desperate to prove they were worthy of that level of respect in the two remaining tests.
She said her side were guilty of making basic errors on Monday night and the onus was on the players as individuals to lift their game.
"We weren't penetrating through the middle, we weren't putting the shots up and our bonuses if the defenders intercepted the ball we turned it back to them as fast as they were getting it. So we need to address a lot of things and each one of them needs to minimise their errors and start having a good look," said Hawkins.
Of particular disappointment to the former Auckland Diamonds coach was the poor finishing from her shooters, who collectively converted just 68 per cent of their shots at goal in their opening test.
Hawkins is hoping for a marked improvement in accuracy tonight, but admits it will take a great deal of work to lift them to the standard required internationally.
"It's about getting to them and working with them daily as much as you can. But it can be tough in England it's a four-hour drive to get to some players," said Hawkins. "But you have to deal with that and our shooters need to step up and look at getting that percentage right up there."
The English shooters certainly can't bank on receiving any let-up from the Silver Ferns tonight, with New Zealand keen to build on their dominance. Ferns captain Julie Seymour said despite her side's emphatic performance on Monday there were still areas they could tidy up in Dunedin.
"I think we're all such competitive people, even though we won by such an amount, if you went in and asked each girl individually they'd probably be able to pick out three or four key things that they themselves would like to improve on," said Seymour.
The veteran midcourter said though England made a poor start to the series, her side were still acutely aware of the firepower the visitors boasted.
But England may still be without one of their most lethal defensive weapons tonight, with goal-keep Geva Mentor struggling with an ankle injury. Hawkins said they were hopeful Mentor could take the court at the Edgar Centre, but admitted it could be a bit of a stretch.
"We're trying to be as positive as possible. She did a high tear on her ankle, which for a normal person they'd be out for two to three weeks," said Hawkins.
