Netball: Ferns playing it cool after Birmingham

By Richard Boock

All work and no play made Jack a dull boy, and the Silver Ferns possibly made the same mistake at the previous world netball championships in Birmingham.

The side who suffered a shock loss to South Africa in 1995 were roundly criticised afterwards for being over-organised and slaves to routine, and the lesson has apparently been taken on board for this year's championships - which start in Christchurch today.

Ever-mindful of the Birmingham blunder, the 1999 New Zealand side will be extended far more latitude during the 10-day tournament, with Yvonne Willering anxious to find a happy balance between her players' bodies and minds.

New Zealand begin their bid for the title when they play Canada directly after tomorrow evening's opening ceremony, and the Ferns' coach said if the players were to avoid becoming stale over the following week-and-a-half, they needed plenty of chances to escape the team environment.

"I've heard what was said about Birmingham and I don't whether it was a factor or not," she said from Christchurch yesterday. "But we're certainly not taking any chances this time.

"You have to be very careful in this sort of environment not to get too structured, in order to help keep the players fresh, relaxed and positive.

"There are real dangers of things getting a bit flat or stale if it's all the same thing, day-in, day-out. Everyone needs their own space at some time, and I think we need to appreciate that."

Willering said New Zealand had so far coped well with the pressure of home expectations, channelling the support and good wishes into a positive aspect of their build-up, but sounded a warning about taking a Australia-Ferns final for granted.

Tournament netball, she said, was a completely different animal to test series netball, and the team who adjusted quickest to the vagaries of the competition would hold a decided advantage.

"Playing nine days in a row is definitely different and comes with its own distinctive challenges," she said.

"People reckon they know what's going to happen next, but I'm telling you, strange things happen at the worlds.

"There's no time to dwell on the previous match, you don't have a week between games [like in a test series]; you're often coming up against an unknown opposition, and the prospect of neutral umpires only makes the whole thing more unpredictable."

The change to neutral umpires for this year's world championship matches means the best whistle-blowers will be ineligible for the final should Australia and New Zealand qualify.

Australian coach Jill McIntosh has already blasted the move, saying the best players in the world deserved the best umpires, but Willering opted for a more circumspect reaction yesterday, putting the onus on her players to adjust to the calls.

"In the end, you can't have it both ways," she said. "You can't have neutral umpires throughout the tournament and then change to a non-neutral policy if New Zealand and Australia make the final. That's inconsistent.

"It's interesting because, if you opt to use the best umpires all the time, the top 10 would probably all be New Zealanders and Australians and no one else would get a look in. That's probably not great for the game either."