Ferns raise a sweat

BY SAM WORTHINGTON

The Silver Ferns hope some extra-sweaty training sessions this week will see them avoid another fourth quarter meltdown in tonight's second test against Australia in Wellington.

Australia lead the best-of-three series 1-0 after the 48-43 win in Adelaide where they turned a one-point deficit at three-quarter time into a five-point victory.

Success at a sold-out TSB Bank Arena is vital for New Zealand on two counts.

One, it gives the Silver Ferns a shot at the Constellation Cup in Auckland on Sunday and two, it stops Australia from gathering steam ahead of the big prize, the Commonwealth Games.

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken said there had been an extra edge in training for a test she described as "certainly big" but there will be no scrapping of the rotation policy, with different combinations expected to be worked through tonight.

"We want to pick ourselves up after the loss but it is on the pathway to Delhi," Aitken said.

"We're still looking at our options going forward to Delhi so there will be some changes as we go. Whether we start with the settled line and how we do that has not been decided yet."

Aitken took the rare step of conceding the Silver Ferns were underdone before Adelaide and that the swarming Australian fourth quarter aggression, led by super-sub defender Susan Fuhrmann, had been too much for New Zealand.

"It was a real step up from Jamaica, there's no doubt about it, and we didn't absorb that as well as we needed to. In the buildup to the first test, there wasn't enough intensity at our training matches. We felt that we probably didn't deliver to our team as we needed to in terms of simulating the intensity that the Australian match would bring. So we've worked on that."

The two teams are evenly matched in terms of skills and tonight will probably be close again, but a concern lingers that Australia are mentally tougher at crunch time.

Irene van Dyk has taken heat for slotting just two of four shots in the fourth quarter in Adelaide, but Aitken said the midcourt needed to lend her a hand.

"If we can get that ball to circle edge, we can keep Irene inside, doing some movement within the circle rather than coming out."

Former Silver Ferns goal attack Belinda Colling has been called into camp this week with the brief of improving the shooters' technique and movement.

Aitken said van Dyk had been asked to increase her movement, "play smarter," and avoid being locked into one-on-one scraps, especially against Fuhrmann.

Silver Ferns captain Casey Williams said it was critical New Zealand performed strongly tonight and stopped Australia getting on a roll ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

"That's very important to me. As a captain you want to be out there putting that message across and we want to have a good start and have confidence behind us," Williams said.

"In the past two trainings we've really made a considerable effort in that last five minutes, to keep the pressure on. But also stay composed because we need that. It's also being aware that the game's not over until the whistle blows."

At A Glance: Silver Ferns: Irene van Dyk, Maria Tutaia, Temepara George, Laura Langman, Joline Henry, Casey Williams (c), Katrina Grant, Liana Barrett-Chase, Leana de Bruin, Anna Scarlett, Grace Rasmussen, Daneka Wipiiti Australia: Sharelle McMahon (c), Natalie Medhurst, Lauren Nourse, Natalie von Bertouch, Renae Hallinan, Mo'onia Gerrard, Laura Geitz, Susan Fuhrmann, Kimberlee Green, Catherine Cox, Susan Pratley, Rebecca Bulley Umpires: Joel Young-Strong (Trinidad and Tobago) and Annie Kloppers (South Africa) Head to head: 97 games; Australia 58 wins, Silver Ferns 37, drawn 2 Form: Australia won the first test 48-43 and lead the best-of-three series 1-0 TAB odds: Australia $1.55, Silver Ferns $2.30 Venue: Wellington's TSB Bank Arena On the box: TV1 at 7.30pm tonight. Game starts at 7.45pm

- © Fairfax NZ News