Netball: Drawing the Sting is rivals' big test

By JULIE ASH

Don't be surprised to see the Southern Sting name engraved into the national league trophy for the sixth consecutive time this year.

While the Force, Magic, Flames and maybe even the Diamonds are in with a chance, it is hard to go past the Sting when you cast your eye down their impressive lineup.

With Anna Galvan (nee Veronese) and Jenny Ferguson in defence, Lesley Nicol, Adine Harper and Australian Natalie Avellino in the midcourt and Donna Loffhagen and Tania Dalton under the hoop, along with a pretty formidable bench, the Sting squad is no doubt the envy of many in the National Bank Cup.

Along with the fact they rarely make mistakes, the Sting's major advantage is that they have real strength throughout the court, especially in the shooting circle with Loffhagen and the extremely accurate Dalton, provided they both remain injury free.

Netball is a basic game. Just scoring off your own centre pass off is enough to keep you in the game. However, it is the whole scoring aspect which lets many teams down.

Looking at the eight teams this year, the axing of the Counties Manukau Cometz has reduced the competition and eliminated the bye.

Many teams have plenty of strength in their defence and midcourt, but whether or not they succeed this season will be determined by the performance of their shooters.

The Magic have the biggest advantage up the front end of the court, with Irene van Dyk, the world's best shooter.

However as a whole their strength throughout the court, although close, probably doesn't quite match that of the Sting and the Force.

Edged out by the Sting 51-49 in last year's final, the Force have the potential to knock the Sting off their perch. Whether they will is another story.

Force coach Yvonne Willering has an endless number of options open to her, especially in defence with Linda Vagana, Sheryl Scanlan (nee Clarke), Kate Dowling and Matila Waqanidrola.

The midcourt is also well catered for with the explosive Temepara Clark, Angelina Yates and Kimberley Horton.

But once again the Force's success will come down to how they perform under pressure and the accuracy of their shooters Teresa Tairi, Daneka Wipiiti and new recruits Julie Kelman-Poto and Matelita Shaw.

In last year's final, the accuracy of Sting shooters Dalton and Loffhagen under pressure was the telling difference in the game.

The pair missed just nine of their 60 shots while Wipiiti and Tairi missed 20 of their 69 attempts.

Shooting could also be the key for the Canterbury Flames.

With Vilimaina Davu and Belinda Charteris on defence, Julie Seymour and Maree Grubb in the midcourt, the Flames' top-four chances very much rest on the shoulders of Jodi Te Huna and Belinda Colling.

With Seymour back in the fray, the Flames shooters will be guaranteed quality ball. The test will be getting it through the hoop.

While it is hard to see anyone other than the Sting, Force, Flames and Magic in the top four mix, you can't rule out the Diamonds, especially since they have gained the services of former Australian captain Kathryn Harby-Williams.

With Harby-Williams, Victoria Edward and Silver Ferns captain Anna Rowberry, the Diamonds have three lethal players but a question mark lies over their relatively unknown shooting lineup which includes Shelly Norris, Janine Topia, Bridgette Tapene and Juanita Nilsen.

Should they perform, there is nothing stopping the Diamonds securing a top-four finish.

Wellington's Capital Shakers may well be the big improvers this year. Acquiring the services of English midcourter Karen Aspinall, former Sting defender Megan Hutton and former Rebels shooter Katie Ritchie are big bonuses and may be enough to secure them a semifinal spot.

The competition could be a tough one for Lois Muir's Otago Rebels, who have lost a string of their top line players.

However the young side managed a series of upsets last year, including a win over the Sting, which nailed a semifinal spot. Having done it once, who's to say it won't happen again.

As for the Flyers, if they can get within 10 of their opponents, they'll be doing well.

Considering they lost every game last season by an average of 20 or so goals, finishing within 10 of the Sting, Force and Flames would be a mighty achievement for the Flyers.

So pencil in the Sting and Force and watch the battle unfold for those last two semifinal spots.

Julie Ash's tips

1: Sting

2: Force

3: Flames

4: Magic

5: Diamonds

6: Shakers

7: Rebels

8: Flyers

Past Champions

1998: Rebels

1999: Sting

2000: Sting

2001: Sting

2002: Sting

2003: Sting