Australian netball coach Norma Plummer says she’ll keep giving up secrets if it keeps giving her Test victories over New Zealand.
Plummer’s Diamonds lodged a five-goal triumph over their arch rivals in the first Test of a three-match series in Adelaide on Sunday.
Australia prevailed 48-43, with Plummer unveiling a formerly secret weapon – giant West Australian defender Susan Furhmann.
Plummer had no doubt the 23-year-old goal defence was the decisive factor in the series opener before more than 8500 spectators at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Furhmann was summoned for her 12th Test cap in the final quarter of a tense and tight fixture.
The 196cm tall West Australian allowed champion New Zealand shooter Irene van Dyk just four shots – and only two of those were converted.
Fuhrmann’s quelling of the Silver Ferns’ threat enabled Australia to score 10 of the final 15 goals of the game.
“We have always had faith that she would get there, she’s only 23 – she’s just learning at 100 miles an hour,” Plummer said of Fuhrmann.
“Susan certainly came on and gave us what we needed.
“How often does Irene stand and look somebody in the eye?
“We have got that luxury to have a tall defender now so it would be stupid not to capitalise on it.”
Plummer rejected a theory of hiding Furhmann from the Silver Ferns until the Commonwealth Games.
“I think that would be stupid of me to hold her back,” she said.
“It’s not so much element of surprise player on player, it’s how you work the game plan.
“We can show every secret at the moment that we might have and the Ferns will probably have to as well to get the win.
“But by the time you get to Commonwealth Games, you can work off something else – to me, we are not showing anything, we are playing to win.”
New Zealand coach Ruth Aitken was disappointed her side failed to respond to Australia’s late surge.
“We are certainly building and learning and trying different things, but we are still hurting at the moment because we didn’t want to go down by five at all,” Aitken said.
Australian captain Sharelle McMahon was instrumental in her side winning, missing just two of 27 goal attempts while her goal circle partner Natalie Medhurst converted 23 from 29 shots.
The series culminates with Tests in Wellington on Thursday and Auckland next Sunday.
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