Clare Bodenteiner and the other Tall Ferns returned yesterday to Auckland from Beijing where they beat Australia for the first time. Photo / Greg Bowker
Buoyed by their first win against Australia last week in the Good Luck Beijing tournament, the Tall Ferns' confidence is at an all-time high as they continue their preparation for the Olympics.
The Kiwi side flew in yesterday from Beijing. They will have a short break before packing
their bags again, this time for Europe, where they will take on several more top-ranked nations.
Tall Ferns coach Mike McHugh admits it has been a demanding schedule for his side, but the results are already starting to show.
While the Tall Ferns managed only one win from six at the tournament, having done it against the reigning world champions proves they are extremely competitive at an international level.
WNBA stars Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor were missing from the Australian side but it was a similar line-up to that which beat the Tall Ferns by 41 points at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Dunedin in September.
McHugh is thrilled with the improvement his side has shown.
"I don't think I've been associated with a New Zealand team that has played as well as they did. We're delighted with the result, but it has been coming and it came against the right team."
The atmosphere in the changing shed after the win was something he had never seen before.
"It was like they had won an Olympic medal."
The challenge now for his squad is to continue to build in next month's tour of Europe where they will take on Spain, Japan and possibly Latvia in a mini-tournament.
The Tall Ferns will also take on the Czech Republic, who are regarded as a strong medal chance in Beijing, and hope to set up a couple of fixtures against some good club teams.
The daunting schedule will be a huge challenge for the side, who have largely been in a development phase since a brace of retirements after the 2004 Athens Games.
But McHugh believes the campaign will give his side the best possible chance of success in Beijing.
"If we don't perform well in Beijing, it is because we weren't good enough on the day. It certainly won't be because we are under-prepared."
The Olympic squad will be picked after the tour to Europe.
