Netball: Ring-in rings true for Magic

English international Jade Clark made a mercy dash from Manchester to Sydney for the Magic’s clash against the Swifts. Photo / NZPA

SYDNEY - The uniform belonged to her captain but it shouldn't take Jade Clarke long to forge her own identity in the transtasman netball competition, even if she is on borrowed time.

The English international wore the name Langman on her back last night - not that the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic were attempting subterfuge against the New South Wales Swifts, who are now top qualifiers for the semifinals after an emphatic 60-43 victory.
Clarke's arrival had been publicised on Saturday - the day she touched down in Sydney after a mercy dash from Manchester - though it was a slight surprise she started at wing defence instead of being ushered in off the bench by coach Noeline Taurua.

"I got an email Wednesday, flew Thursday and got here Saturday," Clarke said as she massaged a cramping calf muscle.

As soon the communication confirmed she was Peta Scholz's replacement for the remainder of the season, Clarke clicked on the Magic's website to at least familiarise herself with who was who when she met her new teammates on Sunday.

While Laura Langman, Casey Williams and Irene van Dyk needed no introduction - they have been adversaries during her 49-cap career - many of the others were a mystery, likewise the team pattern.

"We had a run through this (Monday) morning, just to check I could stay on my feet and I wasn't dizzy," she laughed.

Thankfully the midcourter more than bluffed her way through against the title favourites.

"She just jumped in," Williams enthused.

"She's a quality player, very confident.

"Coming into our side she wasn't afraid to tell you what to do, which is really great."

Clarke was not quite as taken with her performance, though she could hardly expect to build an instant rapport with teammates under pressure from a crack outfit that has matched the competition's longest winning streak of 11 games.

"Adrenaline just got me through," said Clarke, who had kept training even though her English Super League campaign with the Northern Thunder ended a month ago.

Word filtered north about the season-ending knee injury Scholz suffered on May 8 so she persevered in the gym. But the 26-year-old was beginning to wonder if she would ever fulfil an ambition to play in the ANZ Championship.

England teammates Sonia Mkoloma, Geva Mentor and Pamela Cookey had raved about their experiences either side of the Tasman, but Clarke thought she had been overlooked as Taurua tried to plug the Scholz gap in-house.

"I didn't want to get my hopes up. They were obviously looking working through their combinations and waiting for the right time to bring someone in.

"It is late, I'd have rather had a better preparation, but we've got a bit of time before the play-offs."

Despite slumping to a third successive loss the Magic are still in the top four though a potential rematch with the Swifts - should the New Zealanders protect their status over the final two rounds - appears ominous.

They were relentless after a nip-and-tuck opening quarter, and had the game in hand when leading by 13 at halftime.

The Magic hung in to prevent a rout but never threatened to stage a comeback, a worrying sign as they are probably New Zealand's best equipped franchise to loosen Australia's grip on the trophy.

Typically, the shooting stats were revealing. Irene van Dyk - despite some unsavoury marking - and Jodi Brown were more accurate than Catherine Cox and Susan Pratley but could make only 48 attempts to the Swifts' 73.

The Magic also coughed up 29 turnovers to the Swifts' 17.

"They're a quality side playing good netball," Williams admitted.

"We're struggling to find our `A' game but the girls are laughing, our heads are up. It's not over yet."

Meanwhile, Swifts coach Julie Fitzgerald was predictably impressed.

"I thought the first three quarters were probably the most consistent I've seen them play," she said.

But Cox stressed the Swifts still had pleny of finessing to do.

"I'm actually amazed that we won that last quarter (10-9). We're still not the perfect netball team by any stretch of the imagination, we've got a lot of work to do on finishing the games off."

- NZPA