Netball: Ferns look for balance in test

Silver Fern Temepara George. Photo / Richard Robinson

A resurgence under skipper Casey Williams and continued experimentation ahead of next month's world championships are the objectives for Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken to balance in tonight's second test against Australia in Auckland.

Williams' calf strain stood up well to yesterday's training session but team management are taking a cautious approach given the team's defensive depth. Anna Scarlett, Katrina Grant and Leana de Bruin all offer strong alternative combinations.

Aitken said no decision had been made about her role in today's game.

"We need to see if there is any residual stiffness," Aitken said.

"I'm pretty positive she'll be on, but whether it's for the whole match is another matter."

A decision will be made after this morning's pre-match walk-through. Williams was optimistic of court time after testing the calf muscle.

"There's no pain and I took part fully," she said.

Much has been made of Aitken's substitutions during the first test, which the Silver Ferns lost 52-47 despite leading 29-25 at halftime.

However, the current series will be forgotten when the world championships begin in Singapore on July 3.

Aitken expects to use her bench more today, again placing emphasis on rotation over result.

That was illustrated when she replaced Temepara George with Liana Leota at wing attack in the third quarter on Thursday and Australia took charge.

"The challenge is to use the bench seamlessly," Aitken said. "We take a lot of pride in what we put out for fans so we were disappointed with that second half.

"I understand when you make one [a pre-planned move] and it doesn't work you get criticised but there is a wider context to the changes at the moment.

"Liana has played well for us in the past. She has come off a season that was not so good franchise-wise [with the Steel in the ANZ Championship] and it's about her getting some rhythm because we're now in pressure-cooker mode and have to take some gambles."

Aitken is more worried about the impact of 1.96m Australian goal keep Susan Fuhrmann, who came on for Laura Geitz after halftime and placed shooter Irene van Dyk under pressure.

"We need to deal with her impact in and around our shooting circle. Fuhrmann ended up channelling Irene out of the circle quite a lot so the mid-court got cluttered. We didn't adjust quickly enough."

- Additional reporting: NZPA