Netball: Willering adamant selection correct

By RICHARD BOOCK

New Zealand netball coach Yvonne Willering has ruled out making any panic phone-calls to Belinda Colling in the aftermath of the shock 30-53 capitulation in Newcastle.

Whatever the margin of Australia's win might suggest, Willering remains adamant she selected the best available team and is playing down suggestions of changes before Tuesday's Fisher and Paykel Series opener against Team Pasifika.

However, in naming just an 11-strong squad for the Australian test, the Silver Ferns' boss has left herself room to recall the hard-nosed Colling, who is nearing match-fitness after undergoing knee surgery in May.

Willering said there might have been a case for change had the team lost by 23 while playing well.

"If we had been playing to our potential then we would have reason to worry, but as it happened, we played well below standard. We showed how unused we are to the close-marking and close-contesting style of the Australians."

She said Colling would be considered for selection when the New Zealand panel met in the next couple of days.

Willering conceded she had to accept some of the criticism, but believed there was a case for collective responsibility and, in any case, doubted she would change anything if there was a second transtasman test this weekend.

"We all have to take responsibility for what happened. We didn't show up as a team, but I don't think we can point the finger at anyone in particular."

For all that, the New Zealand mid-court are being lined up as the most culpable after breaking down horribly against the Australian defence and leaving their shooters starved of meaningful possession.

A salient statistic was that New Zealand would still have lost by 14 had they shot 100 per cent.

Wing-attack Anna Rowberry and centre Julie Seymour had no answer to the close-marking of the Australians and often appeared to suffer from tunnel-vision, telegraphing their intentions or forcing the improbable pass.

Unlike Australia, who were content to rotate the ball through the back-court when options were limited, New Zealand seemed gripped by a naive, almost child-like urge to keep pushing forward, and as a result were constantly dispossessed in transition.

Willering sat up overnight analysing a videotape of the debacle and said afterwards that there were few things she would have done differently again.

"We started Adine [Harper] in order to create more movement in the circle and she played really well.

"But we had to try something after we fell behind, and Irene [van Dyk] was the best option.

"As it happened, it didn't make a huge difference because we couldn't get the ball through the court, let alone into the circle."