Irene van Dyk said she found Liz Ellis' outbursts at the umpires more entertaining than anything else in the opening test against Australia.
In her first game back since knee surgery last year, the Australian goal keep was fired up and at times appeared close to boiling point.
While Ellis
always plays with plenty of passion, it was her constant outbursts at the umpires, especially when the match started to slip away from her side in the second half, that raised a few eyebrows.
"She gave the umpires a mouthful," van Dyk said. "Belinda [Colling] and I just kept our composure. We kept on talking to each other saying, 'Keep calm, stay ahead, be stable.' We didn't even listen to them but it got quite funny."
Van Dyk said she thought Ellis was more fired up than usual. "She so desperately wanted to make an impact. I think it is more the expectation that she puts on herself. If the calls didn't go their way, she got quite fiery.
"But she is a brilliant leader and she brings a lot to the team. It was great to win with her in the team, I must say."
Van Dyk said the Australians always play with a tremendous amount of confidence. "You lead by 16 goals and they pull back at you. In the Commonwealth Games we were up by ten and we won by five. You can never be ahead by enough. I think it is their confidence that gives them that edge."
Van Dyk ended the match with a 94 per cent shooting record, landing 32 shots from 34. However for the first time she was not the star of the Silver Ferns' shooting show, that award went to Maria Tutaia who shot 13 from 16. So dominant was Tutaia in the first few minutes of the game that van Dyk wondered if she was going to be given the chance to shoot.
"I was thinking, 'Am I going to get to shoot in the next five minutes, otherwise they might as well sub me'.
"Maria was incredible and it is so cool because she is so young. Making your debut against Australia and playing so well is just phenomenal."
