Netball: Diamonds are forever losers

When the Auckland Harbour Bridge was opened in 1959, it was supposed to connect the two land masses - Auckland City and the North Shore. Few could have foreseen how a connecting device actually reinforced the big divide - something all the more prominent on the netball court.

The blue-and-gold of Auckland-Waitakere have competed against their northern neighbours for several years now. In netball, the cardinal red, white and black of the Force have historically had the upper hand - in the National Bank Cup's eight-year history, they have never lost to the Diamonds.

But five of those eight matches have ended with a Force winning margin of five goals or less.

Force coach Yvonne Willering expects a significant tussle this afternoon between her shooters and the defensive might of Auckland-Waitakere's Stephanie Bond and Silver Fern dynamo Anna Scarlett.

Force shooter Catherine Latu is shooting with 85 per cent accuracy, while Australian import Megan Dehn is on a respectable 79 per cent. The battle within the circles will be one to watch today.

The Force share top position on the National Bank Cup leaderboard with the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic, with both teams unbeaten after two rounds.

Last week's game against the Canterbury Flames went down to the wire, with the Force pipping the southerners by a mere two goals.

The Diamonds' run up to round three has been anything but orthodox. Pregnancies, injuries and retirements by key players have ravaged the team and has left them wondering if their troublesome lead-up could get any worse.

Former Silver Fern captain Anna Rowberry's departure from the team last week left a hole in attack.

Coach Sue Hawkins, after indicating her squad would carry on with a 10-player squad, changed her mind and announced that Laila Sturgeon would join them.

After going down to the Flames in the first round, the Diamonds defeated the Otago Rebels at home, 46-33.