Netball: Tutaia rues the one that got away

Silver Ferns goal attack Maria Tutaia missed just one goal in the first test against Jamaica. Photo / Getty Images

It's not that New Zealand goal attack Maria Tutaia is hard to please - it's just that one missed goal in yesterday's 61-56 netball win over Jamaica really, really annoys her.

The Silver Ferns had to work hard in the stifling Kingston heat for their win, the victory only assured in the closing five minutes after they led 31-29 at halftime.

Tutaia and the vastly experienced Irene van Dyk were in outstanding form, missing just three goals between them in the entire hour-long match.

Two of those came from van Dyk, but the third is the one that rankles Tutaia.

It came with a shade over three minutes to go before halftime, and it sorely tested the patience of the 22-year-old shooter.

"I missed that one, and I definitely felt it because it was a crucial one," she said. "I was pretty gutted."

However, Tutaia - who has over 40 caps to her credit since her debut against Jamaica four years ago - refocused and never missed a shot for the rest of the match.

"You just can't dwell on the things you've done wrong, you've got to get on with what's ahead of you. If you keep thinking about that missed shot, you're going to get a lot more missed shots."

Tutaia's 97 per cent success rate was particularly satisfying, as the 1.88m shooter reaped the rewards for the long training hours she has been clocking up.

"I've been working really hard this year with individual shooting training, so it's nice to see it's all paying off."

Tutaia's routine includes 20 minutes of stationary shooting, followed by increasingly physical drills to simulate game conditions.

"I'll add cones, and do a lot of running around, making sure I'm always fatigued because that's what it's like in the game," she said. Not only did Tutaia's shooting game impress, her court work and drive to the circle kept New Zealand's attack varied and unpredictable.

However, she is happier to redistribute any kudos across her hard-working teammates, van Dyk in particular.

"I think Irene played fabulously with the amount of knocks and pressure she had on her. She'd draw two defenders to one side, and it was so much easier for me to come into the circle.

"And she took some pretty awesome ball. She's the ultimate athlete, any ball you throw to her you know she's going to fight 100 per cent to get it.

"To have a shooter like that behind you, you just can't go wrong."

The Silver Ferns had a rocky start to the season, losing two out of three tests to a scratch World 7 team in late August, looking flat on defence and stilted on attack.

But the New Zealanders have shown real improvement over a testing 10-week international calendar, including a win at the new-look FastNet world series in Manchester as well as an extra-time victory against England soon after.

As a shooter, Tutaia said she has really benefited from that consistent improvement.

"(Midcourters) Temepara (George) and Laura (Langman), and especially our wing defences and goal defences are doing some great feeds into the circle.

"Everything's just come together at the right time, especially after that World 7 series, which was very shaky for us."

But with one more match left against Jamaica on Friday (NZT), Tutaia said the Silver Ferns were being careful to keep focused.

"We've still got a task to do, our job isn't finished here. We've got to finish off with a win."

- NZPA