KEY POINTS:
Commonwealth Games
The score was 60-55 but it might as well have been 40 points. The Silver Ferns' Commonwealth Games gold medal was gained more comfortably than the score suggests, in spite of some bruising Australian play as they sought to curb the expressive Ferns.
Sydney
After another good win over Australia (52-40), then came July 25 in Sydney. Ferns coach Ruth Aitken, not unreasonably shuffling her playing roster to build experience ahead of 2007's world championships, came unstuck. The Ferns looked less than smooth and wilted with their unfamiliar playing roster, going down 48-38.
Since then the debate has been locked: Did Aitken do the right thing trying to broaden her team's experience or did she hand the Australians the initiative?
Fisher & Paykel series
The answer seemed to be the latter. In a surprise result, an energized Australia showed impressive speed and zip in the midcourt and up front to beat the Ferns deservedly at home.
Late in 2005, the Ferns had beaten the Australians 61-36 in Auckland, a dreadful hiding in netball terms. It should have been a fatal mauling and, even through the Commonwealth Games, the Aussies looked unable to counter the Kiwis. Then came that fateful game in Sydney and, since then, the balance of power has largely shifted back to the Australians
Awesome threesome
Most worrying was the advances the Australians made against the axis of the Ferns - the 'awesome threesome' of Irene van Dyk, midcourter Temepara George and bruising defender Vilimaina Davu. For perhaps the first time, Davu looked a little ponderous in pursuit of the quicksilver Australians and announced her retirement not long afterwards - although her move also seemed to be linked (she denied it at the time) to the opportunity to coach Fiji. No one should make the mistake of thinking van Dyk and George are past it; they are too talented for that. However, it was concerning that the Australians bossed midcourt and neutralised van Dyk, something they have not managed to do previously.
2007 World Champs
Then, at the end of all this, Fiji's somnolent coup put paid to that nation's hopes of hosting next year's world championships. New Zealand stepped up, and will now host the tournament in November, gaining home advantage.
Things we'd like to see in 2007
1. A world championship back-to-back title, thank you very much.
2. The Ferns to find and execute a reliable strategy against the Australians in 2007. If not, their slim favouritism for the world championships will be eroded, as will chances of retaining their world crown.
3. Win, lose or draw, we hope for more smiles from Norma "Scrubbers" Plummer, the Australian coach whose sour puss Kiwis love to remark upon.
