By Suzanne McFadden
Dropped Silver Fern Jenny-May Coffin may be held together with tape, but she has defiantly steered Waikato into tonight's national netball final with Auckland.
If Coffin wanted to make a point after being the unlucky No 13 - the player left out of the New Zealand team for next month's world championships - she chose the perfect stage last night.
Battling with a recurring shoulder injury, the gutsy Waikato captain led by example in the 63-42 crushing of defending champions Otago.
Auckland are Waikato's surprise opponents in the final. Before last night's 52-48 win over previously unbeaten Manukau, the Aucklanders had won only one game Coffin, a Hamilton police constable, has been the outstanding midcourter at this tournament in Palmerston North. Yet she has had her shoulder heavily strapped all week after over-reaching for a ball training last week and aggravating an injury she suffered in Jamaica at the start of the year.
Waikato coach Ruth Aitken said she was totally in awe of her captain. "Subconciously, I guess Jenny-May has a little point to prove. But she just wants to do her best wherever she is - she wants her team to do well," Aitken said.
Coffin's brilliant understanding with Amigene Rangitaawa in the middle of the court led to the undoing of an Otago side stunned into a string of errors.
Waikato started slowly as they have all week, and went into a brief spin when former New Zealand shooter Tania Nicholson left the court in the first quarter, complaining of seeing stars.
But lively goal-attack Renee Jacobsen proved to be a worthy replacement, teaming up with Karen Gaddes and Waikato stretched a one-goal lead at the end of the first spell to 10 at halftime.
"Renee shot like a dream tonight. We are so lucky to have three excellent shooters - to tall ones and one little nippy one," Aitken said.
"I had a few anxious moments in the first half - I was frowning a lot - but it was intense. It took a while for our defence to get into it."
Waikato may lack height in their defence, but the plucky Koren Pickard and Leigh Price have got the better of all their opponents in the goal circle so far.
Tonight they will come up against the tall and the tiny in Auckland's Kiri Adams and Kylie Hall, who outfoxed Manukau's defence last night.
In a strongly contested match, Manukau led by one at the first break but the Aucklanders shot out to a 29-26 lead at halftime.
Manukau closed the gap in the middle of the third quarter, but Auckland accelerated away again to lead by five going into the final spell.
Again Manukau came back to be within one - driven by feisty centre Temepara George - but again Auckland pulled away and held on.
North Harbour and Wellington will have to battle it out to stay in the first grade today, while Canterbury will play Hutt Valley for promotion into the top ranks.
Last night Canterbury beat Taranaki 66-51 and Hutt Valley overcame Wanganui 64-46. Favourites Bay of Plenty who beat Eastern 60-47 play Canterbury Country, 65-46 winners over Waikato Seniors, in the third division final today.
Netball: Coffin sends message to selectors
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.