The Silver Ferns survived another second round scare at the Netball World Cup in Sydney, edging out Malawi 57-49 after struggling to shake them for most of the match. Dana Johannsen and Radio Sport's Rikki Swannell answer the key questions from the match.
1. Are the wheels falling off forthe Silver Ferns? DJ: Outwardly it would appear that way after two shaky performances, but the Ferns don't seem to be panicking too much after last night's match. Malawi play and unorthodox style and can be a tricky side to get past because they are so difficult to get ball off. They're quite happy to play the ball around amongst themselves for a couple of minutes if that's how long it takes to get the it into the shooter's hands. This eliminates a key strength in New Zealand's game - their ability to force turnover ball.
RS: If seven and eight goal wins are the wheels falling off, then I reckon they'd take that. Not enough credit is given to how good Jamaica and Malawi have become and how difficult their style of play can be. That's not to say that things have been perfect. Far from it. Without Grace Rasmussen the attack didn't have the same flow (also not helped by the fact the shooters were wearing Malawian backpacks), and it was a bit was a bit of an ugly old match in general. But they survived another one, so put it away and move on.
2. Was it just me, or was that game ridiculously rough? DJ: You're not alone. Some of the late hits being put on by Malawi were bordering on dangerous and it is disappointing the umpires did not have a better handle on the game.
RS: No, it wasn't just you. It's hard to complain about some of the things Malawi were doing without sounding too whingey, but they were pretty dirty. It would be a shame if they view late hits and off-the-ball contact as an avenue to success, because they've come on in leaps and bounds, and have real talent.
3. Are these tough games going to take its toll on the Ferns ahead of the semifinals? DJ: There's no doubt the Ferns will definitely be feeling the effects of two torrid encounters against Jamaica and Malawi - particularly Jodi Brown, who copped a pretty blatant stiff elbow to the back in last night's match. The good news is New Zealand has a rest day today and what should a slightly less intense match against Uganda on Friday, which will give Taumaunu a chance to rotate her line-up.
RS: Comparisons could be made to the situation in Glasgow, where injuries meant a player like Jodi Brown had such a massive workload that by the time she got to the final she looked physically shot. But aside from taking a few hits and bumps, the Ferns are actually relatively unscathed from what we can see (touch wood). The timing of today's rest day is very helpful, and the next few days will also be the true tester of whether the new fitness and conditioning regime has been as rigorous as it so far appears.
