I thought after game 2 that LA had really improves her decision making around changes etc but this game just shows that she is still rusty on identifying problems. After CWG, WC losses and consistent performance issues in quad and constellation cups I think at least the selection process and game decisions need to be looked at. Watching the Australian attack end at the start of the game really impressed me at how quickly they’d gone from the team with a mass of TOs in the first two games and then the rest of the game went back to that. I don’t know who was keeping stats and decided that Weston only had one TO but I’m sure I saw her throw at least two balls away in the last half. Personally I would’ve brought Bruce on at GD in the third and let her hunt the ball in the midcourt and force the ferns to change things up. In the last test I’d like to see Watson play at WA however that means Price or Shcerian will be in C and that means that Cbass will probably be GS for the connection when Thwaites dominated Watson. I’d have Tippet GA and encourage Thwaites to take the long bombs since the defenders won’t be able to out rebound Tippet provided she’s in the right position. I also agree with others as good as Price and Brazill are we need someone like Gabi Simpson in the team. Cbass is quite uninspiring, it’s not good to have your captain throw their arms up in the air after a TO while everyone else tries to get the ball back. It’s important to note how relatively low capped this team is. The two most experienced players both play GS and one of them is very hot and cold. We don’t have a Langman or Geitz who steps up and lifts at the right moment but the ferns do and I’m sure with time Bruce, Weston, Watson etc can get there but right now I think selecting Simpson at the expense of JLP or Braz would’ve helped. By that same token this series is about gaining experience and testing things out so it’s not imperative that we absolutely dominate either. It’s a shame Proud injured herself because she’s the sort of player who would be a great leader and is able to go toe to toe with Langman, she’s gutsy and we’d still be developing someone new as well as allowing Watson to play WA at international level.
