Netball: Van Dyk holds key to Kiwi gold

The All Blacks were once advised by a schoolboy supporter to adjust their game plan thus: Remember rugby is a team game - everybody pass the ball to Jonah.

The Silver Ferns might be well advised to follow a similar ethos in the Commonwealth Games gold medal match tonight by passing the ball to Irene Van Dyk.

New Zealand qualified for the final thanks to a 61-41 win over Jamaica last night.

The former South African shooter has found it hard to miss in her duties in the circle so far in the tournament, with an almost unbelievable 98 per cent success rate in the five games before the semifinals.

She finished last night's game at the Multi Purpose Venue at 94 per cent and looms once more as the key figure in the hunt for a win in the expected final showdown against the Australians.

"She is certainly our rock down there in the circle," says Ferns skipper Adine Wilson. "At the moment, she has got great angles and it really lifts the team when you can throw balls in there and she plucks them from nowhere and scores great goals.

"Australia always get out there and double up on Irene and try and make it hard for her but the good thing is we have a strong goal attack in Belinda [Colling] who has got the experience to do a lot of the work when Irene is covered."

After conceding the first two goals last night, the Ferns soon slipped into demolition mode against a plucky but at times bewildered Jamaican team.

The team from the Caribbean, heavily reliant on skipper and goal shoot Elaine Davis, tried to counter Van Dyk's presence in the circle by using the 1.86m tall Kasey Evering to shadow her but never got any pace on to their midcourt work.

Not that it seemed all that fair.

Davis turned up with both knees heavily strapped and hobbled her way through the game. Jamaica had three more of their starting line up operating with strapping attached.

The Silver Ferns led 15-7 at quarter time, extended the advantage to 32-17 at halftime, then maintained a holding pattern for much of the second half.

"It's good to know we're in the final and it's good to get points on the board in a semifinal so we are going into the final with a bit of confidence."

When the Jamaicans finally got a handle on the best way to defend Van Dyk, fellow shooter Colling zipped around the top of the circle and scored almost as effectively.

There was tireless work, too, from centre Temepara George and the youthful Laura Langman, and hints that coach Ruth Aitken had been keeping her powder dry for the business end of the tournament.

There were never any doubts the Ferns would win this game, setting up an Australian showdown.

-HERALD ON SUNDAY