New Zealand’s ultimate netball test

Press, 24 June 1983, Page 28

New Zealand’s ultimate netball test

KAY FORRESTER

New Zealand’s reputation as the top netball side in the world goes on the line tonight when it meets Australia in the final match at the world netball championships in Singapore.

The team will be attempting to regain sole rights to the world title, which it has not held since 1967.

At the last championships in Trinidad, ‘in 1979, New Zealand was forced to share the title with Australia and the home side Trinidad- Tobago as all three teams finished on the same points, with one loss each.

Both Australia and New Zealand are unbeaten after 14 days of netball at Singapore. The third title coholder, Trinidad-Tobago, has dropped to third place at this championship with losses to the two finalists.

Australia’s path to the final has been a rockier one than that faced by New Zealand. Drawn in the tougher section for the preliminary games Australia had to play Trinidad-Tobago twice — once in the preliminary rounds and again on Wednesday evening — to get through to tonight’s match. New Zealand started with a 60-plus goal victory over lowly-rated Hong Kong in its first match but its form has hiccupped since then, notably against the Caribbean sides, Jamaica and Trinidad-Tobago. Although winning by large margins against lesser opposition, its goal shooting has at times been suspect with the shooters missing a significant percentage of their shots. Tuesday evening’s match against Trini-dad-Tobago was marked by hesitations, mistakes and missed goals. Only in the final minutes of the game did New Zealand look to be in control. However, this seemed to have come right in the match against England on Wednesday night when the accurate shooting of Rhonda Meads and Margharet Matenga inspired the whole team to lift its game. New Zealand coach, Lois

Muir, will be keeping her team selection quiet until just before the match but she will more than likely favour retaining both Meads and Matenga, at the expense of Waikato’s Margaret Forsyth, who played in the Trinidad match. The accuracy — or inaccuracy — of New Zealand’s shooters will be crucial, not only to the confidence of the shooters themselves but to the whole team. The same will be true for Australia. Its shooters, Sue Hawkins and Anne Sargeant, have had an excellent tournament, losing touch only in the Trinidad game.

Whoever takes the court for New Zealand in the shooting positions will be under great pressure from the Australian defence of Kay Partington and Karen Smith, who proved their side’s saviours in the match against Trinidad.

It was the determination of Smith, in particular, who turned the tide for the Australians in that match. It was her example that inspired the Australians to fight back from a six-point

deficit and score 17 of the last 19 goals in the match. That victory — together with the traditional transTasman rivalry — may be the spur Australia needs. It gave notice in last year’s test series in this country that it would be gunning for New Zealand at Singapore.

New Zealand has had the better of the matches between the countries in the last two years as Australia has built up its combination after losing several experienced players after the last world tournament.

In spite of that, the team will not make the mistake of under-estimating its opponent as it did for the third test in Christchurch last year. Much will depend on the leadership of the experienced Lyn Parker, in the centre court.

The determination and single-mindedness of the side’s preparation for this world tournament has earned it the nick-name of “Commandos.” The team spent two weeks before the preliminary rounds training at the New Zealand army camp in Singapore. Its dedication has made the team favourite for tonight’s match and most supporters are picking a New Zealand victory by a narrow margin. The records show that the two Australasian sides have dominated world netball in the last 20 years with honours going to Australia, who has had three outright wins, one tied-win and was runner-up in 1967. New Zealand has filled the runner-up position in 1963, 1971 and 1975.

The large contingent of New Zealand supporters in Singapore will be hoping that the “Commandos” have the edge in the latest round of the on-going battle between the two sides. The match, which starts at 9.30 p.m. (N.Z. time) this evening, will be shown live on Television One.