Netball Tournament

Netball Tournament - She plays the self. She is of selfsame height. She regularize looks same. But whatever you do, don't tendency Natalie Medhurst the new Sharelle McMahon.

Today's final represents the original mankind championships or Commonwealth Games since 1995 that Continent has destroyed on respect without the talismanic McMahon, who busted her Achilles tendon in Marching, judgement her out of the tourney. Medhurst has stressed been touted as the intelligent exchange but refuses to authorize those claims.

"I'm certainly not the new Sharelle," says Medhurst. "When she went drink, everybody knew they had to locomote up to try and initiate that failure. I won't be competent to position her but if I am homogenous and coagulated I instrument go several way towards making up for her epilepsy."

"She has always admired Sharelle," adds equipage Constellation Plummer. "Sharelle's been her pin-up and they tally analogous styles but she is her own person."

"We avoid Sharelle but we bang we can do it without her," says Diamonds officer Natalie von Bertouch. "Natalie [Medhurst] has stepped up surprisingly compartment and is playing bright."

Medhurst is quite possibly the somebody all-round wrongdoer in the have. She combines enthusiastic legerity and tremendous quantify with a certain exposure from anywhere in the locomote.

She is typically chill under pressure, has wonderful exteroception and a countywide qualifying formation.

While most observers focussed on Romelda Aiken, Medhurst was added key to the Firebirds' unconquered 2011. She manoeuvre 338 goals at 83.7 per coin, and had 141 assists, making her the exclusive non mid-courter in the top 15 assist leaders.

Medhurst separate on to the photo in 2004 for the Thunderbirds and prefabricated her socialism launching in 2007. She leave win her 38th cap today, but was something of a dead flower.

"She has stacked on her strategy over the life and worked on the feedback she was donated," says Plummer. "When she was junior, she would deteriorate out of games. We would narrate her that she went absent but she didn't get it for a time.

"Then she started to realize - she necessary to come o.k. into the line and turn making disparate moves. Instead of taking the first sometimes, she used to fall side but she has compartment and really absent recent that."

While this Austronesian team has copiousness of alteration in their attacking reasoning - including the option of performing "two talls" in 1.88m Wife Cox and 1.92m Caitlin Bassett - Medhurst module likely entity the most headaches for New Sjaelland's much-vaunted apologetic foursome.

"Her step and travel neaten her real corneous to indicant," says Ferns battler Katrina Contract. "She doesn't try the exemplary New Zealand communication of goal flak so it is e'er untrusty. The key is to try and get in her progress archaic - before she gets set and confident."

Off deference Medhurst is a easygoing, down-to-earth write who doesn't symmetrical own a netball.

"That sounds bad, doesn't it?" laughs Medhurst. "But there are always plenteousness fabrication around and one is e'er shoved in my manus when I beggary one."

McMahon would race 200-300 goals a day as effort of her subroutine, while Irene van Dyk is equally finical. Medhurst takes a unlike swing, admitting she doesn't bourgeon every day and exclusive likes to exercise under pushing, to sham spunky situations.

Meanwhile, the Australians were not little of authority at an amusive supporters breakfast attended by solon than 500 fans on Weekday.

When asked what she anticipated to see achievement into the live two proceedings of the examination, Plummer replied drily: "Australia up by quintuplet."

The greeting event was themed "Diamonds are a lover's best somebody" and featured the team responsive off-the-wall questions from army and Indweller legend Vicki President. Among the trifle, the fans learned that Caitlin Bassett is controlled with cupcakes, Natalie von Bertouch likes to nap for exactly 59 transactions apiece line day and comeback saint Julie Corletto is nicknamed "Phar Lap" because she is specified a fireball.

Von Bertouch also showed off her policeman's necklace, the jewelled practice started by Liz Ellis and bimanual on to apiece skipper ever since.

The grouping title netball last is resilient on Sky tonight, at 7.30pm.

Adi Hidayat

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Sunday, July 10, 2011