2024 Vitality Netball Nations Cup – Eng / Aus / NZ / Uga (Jan)

Apparently K. Heffernan ruled out with a sore Achilles and Maddy Gordon rested as a precaution after a head knock in training.

Catching up on games this morning.

I think Australia is far ahead of all nations. Possibly Jamaica closest to them. Australia have skill and experience and it is their time. However, not sure if they have a contingency plan when the likes of Bruce, Weston, Klau, Watson, Hadley.

England have the goods but something about lack of discipline or playing heir final too early. I think they can go toe to toe with Aus on a good day… but sometimes the attack is lazy particularly Cardwell and Metcalf. Very casual stile of play and they all just appear to be watching the ball.

Nz has a way to go but I think they could be a real threat in the next 2-3 years. I think DNT is the best coach in NZ, but maybe some fresh ideas are needed. I think we are developing and bringing in the next generation and that Will pay off.
It’s nice to see some serious competition for that GA bib after Meels – with Amo, Tiana and Georgia all competing. Blooding Amo and Georgia was great this series because it will push all three of them to improve and fight for that spot. Mid court similarly – nice to see Souness and MRB have nice moments, with Souness really showing her experience and flair. Earle and Gordon vying for that other mid court spot. Quite disappointed with defence. Karaka is not upto speed and apart from Stythe (Mystics) , not sure who is raising their hands for opportunities.

I’m not a huge fan of the club combinations. I think they will be entertaining but doesn’t bode well for SF. I’d have liked to see Amo at Mystics, maybe Karin coming back to play with Jury. I think back to how beneficial climb combinations have been for the like likes of McMahon/Cox, Medhurst/Basset, Tuitaia/Van Dyke, Wood/Basset, and now Austin/Garbin. Feel like NNZ should be help nudge players in certain directions to better help the ferns.

I think ANZ is going to be a hard year for Burger with Watson limiting her trainings. I wonder if Burger knew before she signed.

I think Aus have quietly been very good at replacing important players over the past few years. They seem to go through this cycle of having losses in NZ that raise questions about how they can fill the holes left by players like Bueta, Wood & Brazill before working things out by the time the next series arrives. There’s always good midcourt talent so I’m not worried there, especially with JLP looking like she could dominate for many years to come.

It’s the defensive end that will be more challenging just because of how good the trio of Bruce, Weston & Klau are. Very hard to replace players of that quality & who are so complimentary regardless of planning. A lot will ride on the development of Ervin, Aryang, Hinchliffe and RBD, and whether they can get two genuine GK options from that crop, or if someone else proves themselves in the next few years. Having Ervin and Hinchliffe at SCL with Bruce and Belinda Reynolds is definitely valuable. Also interesting to see what Richo can do with the Mavericks defenders.

I have to say, this series hasn’t convinced me of England’s approach to blooding a lot of newer players during their last two series. It’s all very well and good to give players like Neill, Glasgow and Joseph international experience, but if they don’t get to play much with Housby and Metcalf, England end up in familiar position for an important final. Aus are good at neutralising that pair (Metcalf in particular) and then they don’t seem to have a solid Plan B. And on the defensive side of things, it feels like they have some good talent without much certainty of which combinations are most effective for different situations. I’m not sure what the thinking was starting with Fadoju in WD ahead of Carter, for example, or if they know how to respond when Marinkovich brings Austin on from the bench.

On that note, I’m curious if Australia will move towards starting with Dwyer more often now. I’m not entirely convinced that’s the better choice than Austin in GA, but Dwyer’s performance in the final was very pleasing to see. Also great to see Garbin play with so much confidence and skill throughout the tournament. Interesting that Marinkovich prefers Garbin and Dwyer together when Garbin and Austin will be playing together domestically this year. Also that she likes Koenen as a GA option when Koenen doesn’t get to play there a huge amount in her SSN team.

From a Ferns perspective I always expected it to get worse before it got better, especially without Ekenasio there – for both her on and off court contributions.

There was an earlier mention re Ferns hype about fitness but they are always slow to start or fade late in games. I expect Taurua to remain in her role, but her constant mentions of intensity – whether it be a lack of it at ANZP level or difficulty maintaining it in the Ferns environment is the unlock she’s trying to solve. I wonder if she may look to freshen up her assistant coach/S&C for the next cycle? Bring in new thinking?

If Eke carries on until 2027 our other GA needs to be prepared to share minutes with her as I don’t think she’s a 60 min player anymore. Metuarau and now Heffernan and Malesala have all had a taste, over to them to make their mark in ANZP. Wilson is looking largely redundant if she can’t reinvent herself as a reliable GA a la Thwaites. Also think Noels/whoever takes over has to remember to develop Walmsley too. Yes Nweke is still relatively inexperienced but as NWC showed, if we don’t have that strong back-up option we’re screwed.

The midcourt is a funny one and will persist for a while. Without Crampton (who I noted from a Storm Purvis IG post this week has moved to Sydney with Jamie Hume FYI..) we’re still shuffling through the options. Unsure if MRB is the answer at WA after the last few series. Best I’ve seen Souness play since CWG and think her and Gordon will be better for their ANZP season together. I suspect Earle will go from strength to strength after her Ferns experience and think Kate Heff’s next 1-2 years is firmly at WD.

Defence wise, they’re all talented individuals but gee they’re inconsistent. At their best Burger and Jury are world class but were found wanting during this series. Karaka for her speccy intercepts and beautiful bringing of the ball through court really struggles against the big nations and I think we may have seen the last of Watson in a black dress. Stythe and Burley have it all to play for in ANZP.