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New Zealand have lit the fuse for a potentially explosive final trans-Tasman netball clash on Sunday by shining the spotlight on Australian roughhouse tactics.
Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken today called for the umpires to clamp down on Australia’s ultra-physical approach against her star shooter, Irene van Dyk.
Van Dyk was in signature form against the Diamonds in NZ’s 46-41 comeback win in Melbourne last weekend despite being the centre of heavy attention.
No-holds-barred Australian skipper Mo’onia Gerrard came off the best in one collision with the Silver Ferns spearhead when van Dyk was floored near the goal post.
Aitken expected the Diamonds would target the South African-bred shooter even more in Brisbane as they attempt to square the four-match series.
“It will probably be a longer, more intense physical approach really,” she said.
“That’s probably why umpires actually allow a lot more to happen to her because she just copes with it, she doesn’t fall all over the place unless she’s really hurt.
“I’d like to think the umpires examine it a bit more, whether it’s a genuine attempt to go for the ball or just knock her over.”
The Australian camp laughed off the claims today as they continued their preparations on the Gold Coast.
Aitken backed van Dyk, who shot 29 goals at 94 per cent in Melbourne, to stand up again and disprove the Australian belief she could be rattled.
“It was interesting listening to Liz Ellis’s comments on television, she said ‘against Irene you’ve got to rough her up a bit to start with, so that you unsettle her’, and it was pretty obvious that was the approach,” she said.
“They may have started off thinking that they were going to unsettle her, but it didn’t happen.”
NZ hold a 2-1 advantage entering the final Test, which will be controlled by two of the three series umpires, South African Annie Kloppers, and Jamaicans Chris Campbell and Dalton Hinds.
Diamonds coach Norma Plummer was rapt by the defensive effort in Melbourne and was confident of overturning the result if her off-key shooters (72 per cent) backed themselves in the goal circle.
“We had a heap of ball, our defensive game was really good and we got plenty of turnovers,” Plummer said. “(Julie) Prendergast was great and Gerrard was great.
“I think every player did their bit and pulled on in here and there.
“We put up five more attempts and it wasn’t because we were rebounding, we actually had the ball in the circle. We actually have to go to the post and commit to it.”
Veteran Silver Ferns skipper Julie Seymour has joined her team in Brisbane but is rated less than likely to return from an achilles injury.