Netball: Seventh-former gives Aitken something to think about

Auckland Waitakere's Paula Griffin has given Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken something to ponder after the opening rounds of the national netball provincial championships.

Aitken is in desperate need of a replacement shooter for next month's series against Australia after the withdrawal of Belinda Colling, who is pregnant with her second child.

Griffin, a seventh former at Massey High School and a member of the New Zealand under-21 squad, ended the weekend with an 86 per cent shooting record.

While the youngster has yet to come up against any of the heavyweights in the competition, she was one of the more promising inexperienced performers coming through.

It would be a huge step up for Griffin but these are desperate times and not so long ago an unknown named Maria Tutaia was called into the New Zealand side and has never looked back.

Susan Tagicakibau, who shared the goal shoot position with Griffin, ended the weekend with 91 per cent but the Fijian is not eligible for the Silver Ferns.

Bay of Plenty's Tanya Lund, who is tipped to get the call up after she travelled with the Silver Ferns to Australia in July as a training partner, played most of the weekend at wing attack. She did have a few stints at goal attack and ended the weekend with a 59 per cent record.

Other contenders include Wellington's Jamilah Gupwell who shot 78 per cent, Southland's Te Huinga Reo Selby-Ricket, 68 per cent and Canterbury's Anna Thompson, 64 per cent.

Otago's Jessica Tuki, who was called into the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team to replace the injured Jodi Te Huna, is still struggling with her form ending the weekend with 43 per cent.

Other shooting percentages of interest were Canterbury's Shelley Norris who put up 187 goals, landing 163 for 87 per cent.

North's Catherine Latu secured 84 per cent but is a member of the Samoan team.

Irene van Dyk was the weekend's most successful shooter, landing 159 of her 166 attempts, giving her 96 per cent. The next best was Southland's Donna Loffhagen with 94 per cent but she is unavailable for the Silver Ferns having signed with an Australian basketball team.

Auckland Waitakere's Maria Tutaia finished with 76 per cent. Illness meant Canterbury's Jade Topia sat out the weekend while Southland's Tania Dalton did not play, having just returned from overseas.


Shooting stats

Irene van Dyk (Waikato) 96 per cent
Donna Loffhagen (Southland) 94 per cent
Shelley Norris (Canterbury) 87 per cent
Paula Griffin (Auckland-Waitakere) 86 per cent