Netball: The hot shot versus the 'smiling assassin'

Sharelle McMahon is about to burst back on to the international stage after reconstructive ankle surgery.

Australian goal attack Sharelle McMahon giggles when asked if she actually enjoys fronting up against the Silver Ferns' "smiling assassin" Vilimaina Davu.

"She is a great competitor and a tough player as well," McMahon acknowledges.

"It is one of my favourite matches, playing for Australia against New Zealand. I definitely enjoy the challenge of whoever comes on court whether it is Vili [Davu] or [Anna] Scarlett or whoever. I love it."

If you think back to the last time Davu and McMahon clashed in Sydney, in June, its hard to believe those words came out of McMahon's mouth.

Such was the rivalry between the two that McMahon charged around like a woman possessed, appearing completely frustrated with the knocks she was taking, while Davu, whom the Australian media later nicknamed the "smiling assassin", had the 12,500 strong Aussie crowd calling for her to be sent off.

And McMahon enjoys this? You bet.

Ever since she netted the winning goal in the 1999 world championships, the 28-year-old, widely regarded as one of the most well-rounded athletes in the game, has become arch-enemy number one for Silver Fern fans.

In the past year she has been a little quiet on the international scene, taking her time to recover from reconstructive ankle surgery.

She has recovered from the injury and her competitors in Australia's Commonwealth Bank Trophy, where McMahon was voted the most valued player of the tournament, can vouch for that.

McMahon notched up her 140th Commonwealth Bank Trophy match during the season and led her Melbourne Phoenix team to a fifth Premiership.

She shot her 4000th goal during the season and was the second-most prolific shooter in the competition, averaging 29.9 goals per game, with 83 per cent accuracy.

"I wasn't able to train as much in the early part of the season as I would have liked," McMahon concedes.

"Hopefully between now and the Commonwealth Games I can put in some really long hours of training so hopefully when the Games come around I will be feeling as fit as I'd like to be."

McMahon is one of five shooters in the Australian squad.

While she is likely to start at goal attack on Saturday night, her team-mate in the shooting circle is a mystery.

"We have five shooters, there are only two positions on court obviously so there are a lot of girls vying for those positions.

"I think the standard is really, really lifting and it just makes it hard for selection and it keeps pushing everyone to keep trying to improve."

It is probably fair to say the New Zealand defence got the better of the Australian shooters in the last series.

Australia had five more attempts at goal but shot only 67 per cent compared with the Silver Ferns' 85 per cent.

McMahon was understandably a little cagey about revealing what her side had in mind to ensure such statistics weren't repeated.

"Obviously we are always working on our shots ... so hopefully we'll be able to get the shots away when it counts." 

Sharelle McMahon

Born: August 12, 1977, in Bendigo, Victoria.
Positions: GA, GS.
Height: 175cm.
Caps: 68.
Australian team: 1998-2005.