Netball: Old foes still top of Ferns hit list

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken is in her ninth season in charge. Photo / Getty Images

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken thinks she has the recipe to beat Australia - but won't be revealing it any time soon.

While there is a variety of opponents for the Silver Ferns in the 2010 international season, which starts against Samoa on Saturday and culminates at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, the old foes from across the Tasman loom largest.

There is a three-test series in August and September and then the small matter of a tussle for gold in mid-October.

Since that memorable 60-55 triumph in Melbourne four years ago, the Ferns have had a less than stunning record against the Diamonds, winning only one in every three matches. If you are looking for patterns, the Aussies have also taken 10 of the last 13 transtasman clashes. But Aitken is quick to defend the Ferns' record.

"We have performed incredibly well against the Australians - especially if you compare to the 1980s," she said. "They have had the edge in the last couple of years but it is only slight and we are really confident we can take another step up.

"The expectation is that we should win more. We certainly have that, I have that. I'm not happy with where things are at. I believe we can be better.

"If we bring our 'A' game and play to our potential we can beat any team in the world, though in sport that is not always easy to do."

But do our notoriously hard-nosed Anzac cousins possess the much talked about mental edge?

"They probably think they do - because they are Australian," she joked. "But I think mentally we have really strengthened up and we have great confidence and belief in ourselves."

Aitken wouldn't discuss tactical specifics: "I'd like Norma [Plummer] to have to find that out for herself quite frankly."

But she gave some hints of her thinking.

"The Australian midcourt has been really strong over the last few years but I am really happy with where our midcourt is at the moment. I think it showed through the ANZ Championship - the creativity is coming along really well and we have got the goods now to match it with them."

She cited the improvement in the Steel's Liana Barrett-Chase and the consistency of Mystics duo Temepara George and Grace Rasmussen.

"We do create a lot of turnover ball at our defensive end and getting it through to our shooters, who are usually very accurate, means the link to the midcourt is absolutely vital."

The Ferns don't lack for flair but it is about finding the balance of flash and functional, something Aitken is quick to acknowledge.

"There is always that fine line between valuing possession at the expense of playing into open space and getting some momentum though the court."

Australia, especially this edition under the coaching of no-nonsense Norma Plummer, seem to have perfected the art of aggressive defence.

"We can't allow them to dictate where we are going to take possession. That is what they do very well, they push you up court away from the goal and the circle. Then you turn around and they are there on top of you and it slows things down a lot.

"We have be working a lot on getting free into open spaces so we can use the ball speed - that is really key for us."

The recently completed ANZ Championship saw New Zealand sides again finish second best but Aitken doubts it will have implications for the national side in 2010.

"New Zealand is still a bit challenged in terms of depth of players in the ANZ Championship but I think it is much healthier in the Silver Ferns. The reality is that when the players come into our environment [with] the history, the heritage - and knowing that you are playing with the best in New Zealand - [means] they take a real lift from that."

She doubts the much-cited struggles across the Tasman will continue into the international arena.

"Internationally, for Australia and New Zealand, I think which side of the ditch you play is beside the point."

The upcoming season presents more complexities than usual, as the Ferns will have one eye on the defence of their Games title in Delhi. The six lead-up matches against Samoa, Jamaica and Australia are absolutely critical for confidence, cohesion and, perhaps most crucially, depth.

"There are always injury issues in a tournament. We need to have depth within our team and we need to have confidence in more than one playing line, "Aitken said.

Aitken points out that once the Delhi tournament starts on October 4 there are no replacements allowed through injury so "we have got to be really confident in our bench."

Aitken, now 53, is in her ninth season and acknowledges there is a lot of healthy criticism around and that pressure goes with the job.

"I would just stick with my school team if I wasn't prepared to live with it. You are aware of it, the responsibility is massive but it [the pressure] just sits to the side really. You can't think about it too much.

"I do the job because I love doing it and have been blessed with an opportunity."