Netball: Aitken wants mental edge for Games

Ruth Aitken. Photo / Getty Images

Silver Ferns' coach Ruth Aitken believes a loss to England in tomorrow's one-off test in Bath could deliver a huge blow to her side's confidence looking ahead to next year's Commonwealth Games.

It will be the last time New Zealand meet England before the 2010 Games and Aitken says it is imperative the Ferns win to regain a mental edge over the ever-improving England.

After a 32-year winning drought against New Zealand, England have won two of the past four full internationals between the two sides, albeit both were followed up by 39-goal drubbings at the hands of the Ferns.

The English also toppled the Kiwi side in pool play of the World Series Fastnet in Manchester last weekend, and Aitken said the Silver Ferns couldn't afford to let the world No 3 side get their tails up any more.

"I think given the fact in the two years prior to this that they've taken a game off us, it is really important that we win this test match," said Aitken.

"I wouldn't like the thought of going into a big year like 2010 with them thinking they've got it over us, especially since we won't be playing them before the Commonwealth Games."

With so much riding on the game from a confidence point of view, Aitken said tomorrow's match was not the ideal time to test new combinations.

One of the key objectives for the Ferns' end of year tour was to develop the depth in the squad and expose a number of different lines to the heat of international battle. But with just one chance left to assert their dominance over England, there is not a lot of room for experimentation tomorrow.

"We'll be doing whatever we think is best to win the game, so that will probably restrict our ability to try out something a wee bit new, it will be whatever we think is the best line that takes the court," said Aitken.

Although England were soundly beaten 55-44 by Australia yesterday, the Ferns are finding little comfort in the convincing scoreline.

Aitken, who was at the match, said the Australians only really gained ascendancy after England defender Sonia Mkoloma was forced off the court in the third quarter with an ankle injury. Until then the established English defensive pairing of Mkoloma and Geva Mentor had done an impressive job of containing Australia's live-wire shooters.

"They can be very disruptive and certainly [Australian shooters] Sharelle McMahon and Susan Pratley had a lot of trouble getting their shot away, because of those long arms in there," the Ferns coach said.

This is hardly a revelation for Aitken. Those same long limbs caused the Ferns all sorts of problems in the World Seven tests earlier in the year, with Mkoloma and Mentor proving masters of getting inside the shooters' heads and confusing the space for the feeders.

The New Zealand coach said where the English appeared to have made gains over the past few seasons was with their confidence on attack having found a more settled shooting combination.

The Silver Ferns will play two tests against Jamaica in Kingston on the way home next week, where more experimentation is likely.

THE MATCH
* Silver Ferns v England
* Bath, 7am tomorrow (live on TV1).