Netball: Ferns hopefuls get chance to shine

Form is paramount. That is the message to Silver Ferns hopefuls from national netball coach Yvonne Willering after five rounds of the Coca-Cola Cup competition.

The Silver Ferns, bolstered by the availability of South African Irene Van Dyk, play Australia on June 20, just three weeks after the cup final.

That does not give Willering time to select a training squad - she will pick a team for the one-off test immediately after the competition finishes.

"That's all we have to gauge it by, and we have limited time to prepare for our game against Australia," Willering said. "Obviously I need to have in-form players."

The shooting position is the obvious contentious position with Van Dyk now on the scene, with double international Donna Loffhagen the incumbent.

Loffhagen is at times brilliant in that position, but Van Dyk is seen as the most accurate and consistent shooter in world netball.

Willering would not be drawn into that debate. "We talk about loyalty, but you've also got to make sure that you want to be the best you can be.

"Everything is performance-based, and that's the way it has to be, but we don't change just for the sake of making changes."

Loffhagen and goal-attack Belinda Colling will be involved in the Tall Ferns' basketball series against Slovakia, with three tests from June 8-10.

Willering stressed that the clash of codes was not a problem for Loffhagen or Colling, or the Silver Fern selectors.

"Donna thrives on having basketball and netball together, and she's indicated that it helps her netball - I've seen that in the past.

"At this stage there is no clash in dates, but it is a bit of a fine line. The only thing we've got to be careful of is that they're not burned out, but that's something that has to be addressed between coaches and players and also the fitness consultants."

Willering has liked what she has seen in the cup competition so far, ahead of a double-header weekend.

"It's been an interesting competition to date. Certainly there's no predictable winners as such."

- NZPA