Netball: 'Good mix' puts NZ 'in with a chance'

Dame Lois Muir with ''Fat Cat'' at her Dunedin home before the Netball World Cup in Sydney. Photo...
Dame Lois Muir with ''Fat Cat'' at her Dunedin home before the Netball World Cup in Sydney. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Dame Lois Muir has been there and done that 11 times.

Now, more than 50 years after playing in the inaugural World Cup in England, the Otago coaching great is off to Sydney to attend the 14th tournament.

It will be the 12th World Cup she has attended as either a player, coach or supporter.

After playing as a defender and helping New Zealand finish second in the 1963 tournament, she coached the Silver Ferns in four tournaments, winning the gold medal in 1979 (shared with Australia and Trinidad and Tobago) and 1987.

Muir (80) leaves for Sydney today to help former Silver Ferns shooter Irene van Dyk, a House of Travel ambassador, manage a 155-strong tour group.

While many have been quick to write off the Silver Ferns in the first World Cup in Australia since 1991, Muir is not one of them.

She spent some time with the squad before its warm-up match against South Africa in Hamilton a couple of weeks ago and likes what she saw.

Muir was especially ''excited'' by the youthful direction coach Waimarama Taumaunu has taken by dropping veteran midcourters Joline Henry and Liana Leota in favour of Shannon Francois and Grace Rasmussen.

''They are an interesting group,'' she said.

''Waimarama has done a courageous thing, because really the mixture of youth and experience is really good. Some of the youth isn't ready because it isn't game-wise.

''But when you change the chemistry like that in a team and put one or two variables in, it changes the old guard as well. We had one or two people that were holding a spot in there.

''It's sad to say, but your experienced players are never going to go anywhere else; they're at the top. Whereas the youth is unpredictable - they will let you down but they can go higher.

''If they are coached right, they will try things. They are not as inhibited by knowing the pitfalls if you risk something.''

Since the Silver Ferns squad was named last month, much of the talk has been around the omission of holding shooter Cathrine Latu.

Taumaunu instead opted to include young shooters Bailey Mes and Malia Paseka to complement veterans Maria Tutaia and Jodi Brown.

Muir thinks Taumaunu will probably start Mes at goal shoot alongside Tutaia in her first-choice line-up, but said Brown was also playing well.

''They have to find a formula,'' she said.

''With Maria, she has been used to predictability behind her. They have taken that away, so Maria has to make more decisions. Everyone knows she can shoot long, but really she has to come into the game more.

''We're in with a chance because we have got quite a good mix. Bailey Mes is deceptive, but she just has the odd little downer on her shot.''

Muir thinks the Silver Ferns are capable of winning the World Cup, but said they needed to worry about Jamaica and England, as well as 10-time champion Australia.

If Jamaica, which usually lacks discipline, gets it right it will be a ''menace'', Muir said.

''England have got a new coach [Tracey Neville]. She's brought back a few oldies. She's got them on side. They are playing in the franchises as well. We have helped them get better. On the day, I wouldn't trust any of them,'' she said.

The tournament begins at 8.50am on Friday, when Jamaica plays Scotland.

The Silver Ferns open their campaign against Barbados at 2.50pm on Friday.

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