- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Hard as it is to imagine, Australian netball coach Lisa Alexander expects her team to up the intensity in their final quad series match against New Zealand in Hamilton on Thursday.
The two teams last met in Sydney 10 days ago, with the Diamonds dismantling the Silver Ferns 68-48 to take an unassailable lead in the four-way, six-match series which also involves England and South Africa.
Alexander knows the New Zealanders will be a different proposition at Claudelands Arena on Thursday, and says their performance in Sydney wasn’t indicative of their ability.
“In high-level sport, sometimes it can just be like that,” she said on Wednesday.
“No matter what you’re trying, sometimes things just don’t come off for you. That won’t happen again – we expect this will be a close contest.”
Worryingly for New Zealand, Alexander doesn’t think Sydney’s performance was the best Australia can manage.
“There were areas we know we can improve on, slight technical areas, but also things to do with our team structures. We believe we can improve.”
Alexander is again looking to cut off the Silver Ferns’ ball supply and says that demands increased intensity over four quarters.
“It’s the Australian way, our one-on-one defence. We want to build pressure. You’ve got to bring attitude to do that – you’ve got to bring intensity.”
Key to doing that will be shutting down the links New Zealand’s midcourt has feeding into shooters Irene van Dyk and Maria Tutaia, especially considering the increased confidence in the line and attacking flow that Millie Lees brings.
“Laura Langman has developed a nice relationship there – we’re going to have to disrupt those and we’re going to have to work hard on that.”
Alexander says the final game of the quad series is about maintaining focus, overcoming mental and physical challenges, and maintaining into next year the momentum Sydney’s 20-goal win established.
“We really want to finish off with this being the best match of our series – it’s a bit like a grand final.”