Netball: Versatility essential for international career

Laura Langman and Natalie von Bertouch. Photo / Getty Images

In the minefield of the midcourt, versatility rules. Players such as Laura Langman and Natalie von Bertouch are changing the face of netball.

In the past there were more specialists. Now the centre court is accommodating multi-skilled players able to cover all three positions in the midcourt.

Specialists like former Ferns captain Adine Wilson became a fixture at wing attack. The 1987 skipper Leigh Gibbs was ever-present at wing defence while the brilliant Sandra Edge rarely strayed from centre.

If they did occasionally play other positions, a switch during a match was almost unheard of.

Australian coach Norma Plummer is adamant versatility is a necessity today.

"Players realise if they are one-dimensional they won't get picked," she says. "It is in a player's interest to be able to play other positions. There wouldn't be too many that don't play at least two."

Plummer says it is vital in the centre court. "They work in all areas and are the lynchpins - they have to be dogged in defence, cope with changes of direction and look after the delivery of the ball."

For once, Ferns coach Ruth Aitken agrees with Plummer. "We want to have confidence in more than one combination so that each position can be played at a world-class level by at least two players.

"Players have to be able to adjust and need to be more versatile than ever before."

Australian vice-captain von Bertouch has played centre, wing attack and wing defence at international level and sees it as a feather in her cap.

"You need to have a second position to be selected in national teams," she says.

"If something is not working it is good to be able to change - swap a wing attack with a centre for example - and get a benefit from that."

The 27-year-old von Bertouch, who juggles netball with full-time work as a dietitian, made her debut in 2002 and has 52 caps. Playing for the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the Diamonds, she has enjoyed many battles with Langman.

"She is extremely quick but as a centre she is such a tight marker, as she came from a wing defence position," van Bertouch says. "Her defensive game is really strong but now her attack is among the best in the world - she feeds Irene [van Dyk] so brilliantly and is one of the toughest to play against."

Plummer also holds Langman in high regard. "I remember the blonde hair flashing all around the court when she first got into the Ferns. She has been a great competitor, she never backs away and hardly ever has a poor performance. Sometimes they [von Bertouch and Langman] will dip down a bit but neither ever has two bad games in a row."

Von Bertouch says veteran Temepara George has a very different approach to Langman - using her body strength and "the hold" a lot more - but the regular interchanging between Langman and George is an ace in the hole for the Ferns.

"It works so well for New Zealand because they can mix up how they play with just that one switch in positions."

Despite the trend towards multi-skilled athletes, von Bertouch says there is still a huge difference between positions and they remain unique.

"When I get thrown into wing attack I think, 'oh, I've got no space' [compared to centre]. Then when I am put at wing defence I say, 'oh, the wing attack has got so much space; how am I going to defend?"'

As if she didn't have enough on her plate, von Bertouch has an informal role giving dietary advice. She always tells players to "come up and have a chat" about nutrition and is in charge of selecting restaurants and menus. Everything usually goes to plan, although the pre-match snack before the third test against Jamaica raised some educated eyebrows. Laid out were pastries and Spanish style-tarts - hardly fodder for finely tuned athletes.

"We were thinking, 'is this a joke?"' von Bertouch recalls. "We took photos and sent them off to the team manager, thanking her for the lovely pre-game snacks."

Langman first hit the headlines as a 16-year-old schoolgirl in 2003, when she made the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic team. She made her international debut two years later at wing defence and has enjoyed the challenge of plying her trade in different areas of the court.

"Centre is the best of both worlds. You get to be dogged on defence and then put in nice feeds at the end. But wing defence is my bread and butter and it is always nice to 'go home' every now and then."

Langman says changing from wing defence to centre, as she did in Wednesday's first test against Jamaica, is quite "seamless" but going from wing defence to wing attack can be difficult as it requires such a different mindset.

The 23-year-old remains the ultimate utility. "As long as I get given a bib, I'll play in any position they put me in." Langman has also noticed how the positional poker has developed von Bertouch's game.

"Her defence has always been world class but she has changed up her feeding," says Langman.

"She is going for more long balls as well as the flat passes. She is getting more courageous in her feeding into the circle. And she never gets tired."