Mes leads way in shooting circle
Nowhere is the enforced changing of the guard in the Silver Ferns revealed more than the shooting end.
Laura Langman, Grace Rasmussen and Kayla Cullen offer proven versatility in the midcourt; new captain Katrina Grant and Anna Harrison experience in defence.
As for the shooters, Bailey Mes’ 26 test caps anoint her the surprise figurehead of the attacking end, four years after making a shaky debut at wing attack against South Africa. How times have changed.
Mes is the only returning shooter from last year’s World Cup after Jodi Brown’s retirement and the losses of Maria Tutaia (injury) and Malia Paseka (pregnant).
Janine Southby’s decision to omit Cathrine Tuivaiti, described as not meeting standards, in favour of blooding rookies Maia Wilson, 19, and Te Paea SelbyRickit, 24, leaves the shooting end facing a sink-or-swim examination in the Quad Series, which starts with a first-up test against England in Auckland on Saturday.
Mes, who brings slick movement to the shooting circle, is expected to be paired with four-test Pulse goal attack Ameliaranne Ekenasio (nee Wells).
England are sure to target the newlook combination but Mes, the 27-year-old Tactix shooter, is confident the pair will respond to the pressure, despite having just three days to prepare this week.
‘‘It is a bit strange. You don’t normally see that many changes coming from one year to the next but with the different circumstances of the shooters that were at the World Cup it’s a good oppor- tunity to show some leadership with my experience,’’ Mes said.
‘‘Ria brings so much in terms of experience and delivering. She’s an amazing player and will be missed but Amels has a lot of experience and we’ve got a lot of good, different combinations so we’re focusing on getting the links between all of us.
‘‘The last few years it has taken me a while to get settled but I’m excited about this season.
‘‘Everyone is in the same boat it always rolls around pretty quickly. It just allows us to get out there and show what we can.’’
Mes hit 286 of 370 attempts (77.3 per cent) in the last trans-Tasman netball season, while Ekenasio nailed 228 from 297 (76.8 per cent). Both need to improve those stats, with the responsibility of converting pressure into points squarely on their shoulders.
‘‘I’ve got some solid experience with me now,’’ Mes said.
In an ideal world Southby will be hoping to inject Wilson and Selby-Rickit for the respective debuts without the added pressure of needing to chase the game.
Rookies often need time to grasp the significant step up in intensity, speed and physicality the test arena requires.
‘‘That’s all part of it and we’re here to help them and want to offer as much as we can in terms of our experience but you’ve got to do your own job first,’’ Mes said. ‘‘It was a bit daunting for me but it definitely made me stronger.
‘‘It’s a bit of a fresh start so it brings an element of excitement. We’re just trying to get to know each other on and off the court.
‘‘It gives people a chance to get into international netball. Everyone offers something different and I think we’ve got a good mix.’’