Netball: Wonder of the gracious loser

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If only all New Zealand teams could be as gracious in defeat as the Silver Ferns.

There was Ruth Aitken, her heart broken and her dreams lying in pieces, and she managed to smile, thank her players for all their efforts and pay tribute to the opposition.

She even managed to avoid blaming the officials, which is not standard procedure for a coach in the wake of world championship defeats.

"I am hugely disappointed for the players. They gave it their all but we couldn't do it when we really needed to. Australia did a very good job at affecting our flow and made it very hard for us to get the ball into the circle. It was hard yakka for us in every phase and we needed to get the ball into the circle but we just couldn't do it. But that is sport and you have to take the good with the bad and I was so proud of our team for the way they fought."

The coach was reasonably sure that given her time again she wouldn't have done much different.

It wasn't as if the game was lost because of any glaring tactical or selection flaw. And there can't be any doubt that the Silver Ferns, every one of them, gave everything they had.

In the final wash-up, though, the Australians just had that little bit more intensity, that little bit of extra composure when it really mattered.

Certainly, Australian coach Norma Plummer saw it that way. As a defensive specialist she was blown away by her side's passion and commitment.

"I don't think you can look past the defence," she said when asked to pinpoint the key difference between the sides. "We gave four big quarters."

Her captain, Liz Ellis, was inclined to agree. "We talked all day about process and not outcome," she said. "We just worked so hard and I never thought we had won until the final whistle. New Zealand have the ability to score really quickly. They get the ball into Irene and at no point until the final whistle did I think we had won.

"I think we have had more physical matches with New Zealand but I think this was one of the most desperate. Everyone just wanted to get their hands on the ball."

Whether Ellis stays on is still undecided as is the future of Aitken. "I am a very simple person," she said.

"Right now my focus is here and I will do whatever is best for the Silver Ferns. I will decide that in the new year."