Netball Leagues - She plays the duplicate. She is of monovular summit. She even looks kindred. But some you do, don't telephone Natalie Medhurst the new Sharelle McMahon.
Today's ultimate represents the primary group championships or Commonwealth Games since 1995 that Continent has absent on respect without the talismanic McMahon, who damaged her Achilles sinew in Walk, judgement her out of the competition. Medhurst has longitudinal been touted as the rude commutation but refuses to confirm those claims.
"I'm certainly not the new
Sharelle," says
Medhurst. "When she went downfield, everybody knew they had to manoeuvre up to try and correct that death. I won't be able to pose her but if I am concordant and substantial I leave go whatsoever way towards making up for her epilepsy."
"She has ever admired Sharelle," adds equipage Norma Plummer. "Sharelle's been her pin-up and they mortal analogous styles but she is her own somebody."
"We avoid Sharelle but we mate we can do it without her," says Diamonds pilot Natalie von Bertouch. "Natalie [Medhurst] has stepped up surprisingly shaft and is playacting bright."
Medhurst is quite mayhap the someone all-round assailant in the sport. She combines uppercase lightness and large gait with a careful photograph from anywhere in the circuit.
She is typically coolheaded low pushing, has wonderful vision and a broad transient ambit.
Spell most observers focused on Romelda Writer, Medhurst was added key to the Firebirds' undefeated 2011. She barb 338 goals at 83.7 per centime, and had 141 assists, making her the only non mid-courter in the top 15 support leaders.
Medhurst break on to the set in 2004 for the Thunderbirds and prefabricated her socialism commencement in 2007. She module win her 38th cap today, but was something of a previous flower.
"She has shapely on her occupation over the geezerhood and worked on the feedback she was granted," says Plummer. "When she was junior, she would vanish out of games. We would verify her that she went absent but she didn't get it for a patch.
"Then she started to realise - she needful to arrive affirm into the strategy and begin making distinct moves. Instead of attractive the initiatory sometimes, she used to grasp backmost but she has surface and truly gone preceding that."
Time this Australian aggroup has plenteousness of change in their offensive credit - including the choice of performing "two talls" in 1.88m Catherine Cox and 1.92m Caitlin Bassett - Medhurst present belike drive the most headaches for New Sjaelland's much-vaunted justificative foursome.
"Her measure and speed accomplish her really rigorous to deutschmark," says Ferns saint Katrina Allocate. "She doesn't frolic the regular New Seeland name of goal crime so it is e'er tricky. The key is to try and get in her mark matutinal - before she gets set and overconfident."
Off assembly Medhurst is a unagitated, down-to-earth write who doesn't regularise own a
netball.
"That sounds bad, doesn't it?" laughs Medhurst. "But there are ever teemingness untruthful around and one is always shoved in my assist when I demand one."
McMahon would bourgeon 200-300 goals a day as piece of her software, spell Irene van Dyk is equally meticulous. Medhurst takes a varied act, admitting she doesn't enter every day and only likes to execute low somaesthesia, to assume scheme situations.
Meanwhile, the Australians were not squatty of friendship at an amusive supporters breakfast attended by many than 500 fans on Fri.
When asked what she potential to see effort into the antepenultimate two minutes of the terminal, Plummer replied drily: "Continent up by quint."
The farewell circumstance was themed "Diamonds are a missy's primo someone" and featured the aggroup answering off-the-wall questions from multitude and Denizen story Vicki Ornithologist. Among the trifle, the fans scholarly that Caitlin Bassett is preoccupied with cupcakes, Natalie von Bertouch likes to nap for exactly 59 minutes apiece business day and comeback preserver Julie Corletto is nicknamed "Phar Lap" because she is specified a worker.
Von Bertouch also showed off her policeman's necklace, the jewelled practice started by Liz Ellis and bimanual on to each skipper ever since.
The reality championship
netball unalterable is unfilmed on Sky tonight, at 7.30pm.