Veteran West Coast Fever coach Norma Plummer has dismissed allegations of dirty play from netball legend Irene van Dyk as “sad” and the words of a frustrated player.
Van Dyk accused Fever circle defenders Eboni Beckford-Chambers and Josie Janz of “crossing the line” to dirty play when the Perth-based team ended trans-Tasman competition premiers Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic’s unbeaten start to the season in a 57-51 upset on Sunday.
The 40-year-old New Zealand international shooter was held to an uncharacteristically low output of 15 goals from 19 attempts by the Fever duo.
“I’ve been playing netball for a very long time, and I can honestly say I have never come across a defensive pair that are as physical and get away with murder,” van Dyk said in a post-match television interview.
Plummer believed van Dyk was speaking out of disappointment at being outplayed.
“I just thought that was a frustrated player,” said Plummer on Tuesday.
“We took away all her best moves and she had nowhere to go.
“Then she decided that because she couldn’t get through where she wanted to we were rough.
“She was trying to barge through holes that weren’t there and space that was taken away from her.
“I thought my defence did a marvellous job.
“It’s just sad that she’s had to pop out and say that.”
It wasn’t the first time the prolific shooter had unleashed a vitriolic post-match outburst, according to Plummer, who coached against her on many occasions when she was in charge of the national team.
“She called out Anna Harrison a few years back as the filthiest player she’d ever played on,” Plummer said.
“So every now and then when she gets a bad one on her own performance, she bags a defender by the looks of it.”
While the Fever occupy fourth spot and have won two of three games, beating both of New Zealand’s 2012 semi-finalists in Perth, Plummer refuses to get excited.
“I’m not getting carried away with it. There’s still a lot of work to do with this team,” Plummer said.
She said the Fever – the only Australian team yet to win the title or even make the finals – needed to win away as well as at home.
They will get the opportunity to do that next Sunday in Adelaide against a Thunderbirds team just below them on percentage.
Jason
Guest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9Pc1h_105Q
Jason
Guest
Oh boy, here we go, another whinger that doesn't know the rules of Netball. Read carefully. Eboni Beckford-Chambers is British. She and fellow defender Josie Janz did an outstanding job occupying the space that Irene South African van Dyk was hoping to run into. Of course, because Irene has rarely encountered this before, she thought that the Fever defenders were cheating. Also, she felt that the umpires weren't doing their job properly, because there weren't many calls going her way. WRONG IRENE! WRONG! In fact, it was Irene who should have been penalised a lot more for causing contact instead, because she was the one barging straight into the opposition players, when they had already established their position. But never mind allblackfan. You just tell yourself that all Australians are cheats, and that Australians can only win by cheating. Whatever helps you sleep at night. If you actually want to improve your knowledge of Netball, then I suggest you read the rules carefully, watch some clips of Vili Davu playing, or head over to the forums at netballscoop.com
allblackfan
Guest
pppffft!! yeah right!! Irene is very physical in her own right; if she says she's getting bashed out of it then who are we to say otherwise? It's not like Australians have previously resorted to underhanded means to win a game against the kiwis ... oh, wait!!!!