On Friday, 192 of the world’s best netballers will descend on Sydney’s Olympic Park for 10 days of competition in the Netball World Cup with Australia, the defending champions, considered strong favourites – though nobody is writing off their competitors.
New Zealand, having lost nine matches in a row to Australia, are experimenting with some new players and a new playing style. England are this year tipped by many to be Australia’s greatest threat and – should they travel well and hold their nerve – present a better side on paper than the Kiwis. Jamaica again loom as a threat while Malawi and South Africa sit just outside the top echelon, and will need to secure a big upset win if they are to make the top four.
These countries join 10 other teams from around the world – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania - and each region will bring its own style of play and physicality to the party. Many of the pool matches will present an interesting spectacle simply because of these contrasting styles.
African sides tend to play a steadier, slower game with plenty of bounce passes, Singapore rely on their speed, the Caribbean teams use an aerial game, New Zealand and the Pacific teams use zone defence, while England have something of a hybrid style, albeit with a fast midcourt and long-range shooters – the result of having been influenced by coaches from all over the world in the last 15-20 years.
Australian netball has long been known for its speed and long-range goaling as well as a strict, one-on-one defensive game and it’s this traditional Australian style which has proved the most successful in the world game; the Diamonds have taken 10 of the 13 Netball World Cups held, and this year the tally could well reach 11.
The former Australia coach and now head coach of South Africa, Norma Plummer, thinks Australia’s defensive work and depth off the bench will see them retain the World Cup she helped them win in 2011.
“The defence end has been fire,” she told Guardian Australia. “Julie Corletto, Laura Geitz and Sharni Layton have all been in great form all year. All in all the Diamonds’ defensive structure has been very good.
“The Australian side also has a great ability to interchange off the bench and I can’t see them getting beat. That said, you never know what can happen on the day.”
Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander goes into tournament with a nice coaching dilemma – along with specialist wing-defence Renae Hallinan, Australia’s defence boasts four able players to fit into three positions.
Dan Ryan, the former Adelaide Thunderbirds assistant coach, told Guardian Australia: “I think we are likely to see Geitz and Corletto as the first choice combination, but Lisa could really turn to any of her defenders to get the job done.
“Sharni Layton has had the best season of her career and will certainly see her fair share of court time throughout the World Cup. She’s not there making up the numbers and I think she’ll bring out the best in Geitz because she is breathing down her neck for her bib.”
The question of who runs in Australia’s backlines will be influenced by the fact New Zealand have reverted to a more traditional moving circle for the first time since 1999, the year before the Silver Ferns recruited Irene van Dyk from South Africa.
Given their poor record against Australia in recent times, the view within the New Zealand coaching camp is that change was needed; incumbent, holding-style shooter Cathrine Latu was dropped from the World Cup squad, largely due to the fact Latu has performed so poorly against Geitz in prior match-ups. The Silver Ferns are now trying to play a faster, riskier more dynamic attacking game, although it remains to be seen whether it works.
New goal shoot, the athletic Bailey Mes and has been running the baseline and gunning shots from all over the court, though not always successfully, and while their backline remains strong, there is no question Silver Ferns have struggled in their post-Van Dyk era.
Plummer told Guardian Australia she was not sure the new New Zealand shooters – Malia Paseka and Mes – would be able to maintain goaling accuracy under pressure, adding that for her the biggest threat to Australia at this year’s event will be world number three England.
New Zealand recently crushed Fiji (world No7) and South Africa (No6) in a Test series, with the Kiwis new midcourt performing particularly well. They will most likely take on England in the middle of the competition – a match that will almost certainly determine which of them makes the final. The pressure will be on – both New Zealand and England are likely to consider the tournament a failure if they fail to make the top two.
“I’m tipping the Diamonds to face off against England for the gold medal,” said Ryan, now the coach of UK Netball Superleague team Manchester Thunder. “I really believe we will see England stand up and be counted as a genuine contender. I think the self-inflicted heartbreak they suffered in Glasgow will prove to be the catalyst that takes them to the final in Sydney. They have an astute new coach in Tracey Neville who knows what she wants when it comes to performance and I think her team truly believes they can win it and that’s exciting.”
England have not lived up to expectations in recent years – after leading both New Zealand and Australia for most of their matches at last year’s Commonwealth Games, England choked in the dying seconds and eventually did not even get a medal after being upset by Jamaica in the play-off for bronze.
Crumbling under pressure is something the English side has done before; they also led Australia and New Zealand at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, before losing the game in the final quarter. Poor coaching decisions – in particular making the wrong substitutions – has been a problem for the world No3 ever since.
Anna Mayes coached the team from 2011, but was sacked at the start of year. Neville has picked up the reins, and three veterans with ANZ Championship experience have returned: Pamela Cookey and Tamsin Greenway – to fill in the troublesome wing-attack/goal-attack positions, and Sonia Mkoloma, the former NSW Swifts defender, comes back into the side after a long absence. They make up a group of six players within the 12 who have played for England since at least 2004.
Anita Navin, a former Superleague coach who now commentates for Sky Sports in the UK, told Guardian Australia the key to English success will probably be determined by whether they can beat the Silver Ferns.
“To beat New Zealand, England will need to maintain intensity and consistency,” she said. “England will also need to look out for the Kiwis’ offline defence (zone style) through the court. Sticking to the game plan and playing England’s game is key. If Maria Tutaia can be shut down and delayed into the circle, New Zealand will lose their prime target in attack....Our shooters must convert it is as simple as that so their accuracy will be a sole determinant under pressure.
Navin said Mkloama’s return was a strong addition, and she expected the 184cm goal defence to get the nod ahead of former Thunderbirds defender Eboni Beckford-Chambers for the matches against taller shooters.
“Maintaining and extending a lead is something we need to do more of and the Mkoloma and [Geva] Mentor partnership is the best we have to ooze confidence through the court, and if Mkoloma can get strong arms over the shot of Tutaia that could be critical. Meeting them early in the competition is great and the Ferns have a blend of youth however the mid court still pose a massive threat with Langman’s instinct and incredible work rate.”
Outside of New Zealand and England, Jamaica represent a good outside bet to muscle their way into contention. They boast the tournament’s tallest player in 198cm goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, and the equal second tallest player in shooter-come-keeper Romelda Aiken (196cm). Both players were their respective conference MVPs in this year’s ANZ Championship.
“They’re magnificent athletes with the ability to move the ball, but in years gone by they just haven’t had that presence of mind to stay focused when things got tough,” Ellis said of the Jamaican team.
Navin said: “Jamaica will be a tough entity having been in training solidly for eight months. With Jill Mcintosh driving their tactical developments they have added lots to their court craft...Jamaica are now more consistent and with the height and options in their attacking circle it will need a well structured game plan with a range of defensive options to beat them.”
Indeed, part of the reason Jamaica are looking so dangerous is because they have the steady hand of Mcintosh, another former Diamonds coach, at the helm.
When the West Australian native first joined the Jamaicans she worked on their fitness, and since hiring a fitness coach she says that stamina is no longer an issue in the side. But the question remains of whether their young defence end can hold up against the faster sides.
“Defensively a lot of emphasis has been placed on improving footwork to cope with the speed of the other teams,” Mcintosh told the Guardian Australia. “Much work has been done on this aspect and also playing numerous games against a Jamaica men’s team has certainly assisted the defenders in coping with the speed of opposing teams attacking units.”
