Ruth Aitken keeps Australia guessing
Plenty of choices all over the court for Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken in the second test against Australia
24 July 2006
Despite a 12 goal win over Australia in Saturday's first netball test in Brisbane, the Silver Ferns feel there is still plenty to work on.
Coach Ruth Aitken will not be surprised if they face an Australian backlash in tomorrow night's second test, meaning her team must step up another gear.
She points to Australia's second half shooting combination of Sharelle McMahon and Susan Pratley, which caused her team some problems, and she will have her team working on shutting down the speed of McMahon and Pratley as their cuts into the shooting circle were very effective.
Aitken says using clear lines in attack is another area they will be working on in training today.
Ruth Aitken's decision to give defender Leana de Bruin and shooter Maria Tutaia their first starts against Australia paid off, both playing a significant part in the 52-40 win.
Aitken tried three different defensive combinations in the game, and may be tempted to try something else in the mid court.
She says they will go back to the drawing board but they will take a lot of confidence out of what happened on Saturday night.
The team resumes training today, after a rest day yesterday.
In spite of the 12 goal win, the Silver Ferns are not expecting a smooth ride home in Sydney, especially as the Australians are showing some confidence.
Australia showed some good signs in the second half of the match, but not enough to close in on the 14 point gap the Ferns had at half-time.
Australia is claiming they definitely have what it takes to beat New Zealand but only used it for one quarter on Saturday night.
Co-captain Sharelle McMahon says an extra two days preparation together could make all the difference to tomorrow night's result.
© 2009 NZCity, NewsTalkZB
