Francois needs to lead way
Spectacular for the Southern Steel, solid for the Silver Ferns.
Not being able to replicate her stellar domestic form in the black dress has often been a criticism of Shannon Francois’ play, something the 26-year-old centre is determined to remedy.
Francois’ significance to the Silver Ferns takes on an even greater role in the Quad Series, which begins against South Africa in Brisbane on Saturday (7pm NZ time).
After previously being in the shadows of midcourt maestro Laura Langman, Francois has quickly become a pivotal figure in the middle third of the court.
With 141-cap veteran Langman barred for representing the national team because she is playing for the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Australia, Francois is the first-choice option at centre.
Despite having amassed 35 caps since 2013, Francois’ contribution has mostly come from the bench until she took over as a starter in January.
When she did start at centre with Langman preferred at wing defence, Francois rarely played the full 60 minutes.
Francois is the most experienced midcourter in New Zealand’s Quad Series squad with Grace Rasmussen only selected for next month’s Taini Jamison Trophy home series against England and wing defence Kayla Cullen working her way back from a recent knee clean out.
New Zealand will field a relatively raw-looking international midcourt in the Quad Series with Whitney Souness uncapped and both Gina Crampton and Samantha Sinclair having debuted in the past 10 months.
‘‘It gets a bit scary how old you get so quickly,’’ Francois said. ‘‘I’ve been biding my time the last few years and just waiting for an opportunity to really grasp a starting position. I’m really keen and eager to get out there and kind of just prove my worth.’’
Francois was among the leading midcourters in the inaugural national netball premiership as the Steel won all 16 games on the way to the title.
Transferring her strong play for the Steel through to the international arena was a key focus for Francois. She wants to main- tain her consistency for the full match, cut down turnovers and make an impact defensively and with her feeding.
‘‘I think I’ve grown as a player this year. I’m definitely a lot more confident in myself and sure of my ability.
‘‘I’m feeling much more confident in the [Silver Ferns] environment. I’m excited to see what I can put out on court and the performances I can do.’’
Silver Ferns coach Janine Southby, who previously mentored Francois at the Steel, was adamant the best was yet to come. Francois has long been regarded as one of the fittest players in their programme and it was vital she avoided drifting in and out of games.
‘‘I just want Shannon to focus on what she does really well,’’ Southby said.
‘‘It’s just about being confident in herself. We believe in her and that’s why she’s there. She’s got another opportunity to keep growing.’’
A major adjustment for Francois has been going from feeding her former Steel teammate, 1.98m Jamaican standout Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, to a different shooting combination.
Francois has played alongside New Zealand’s top shooting duo, Bailey Mes and Maria Tutaia, regularly at international level, but it took time to develop links and understand- ing, she said.
‘‘The whole dynamic of that attacking third changes [when you rejoin the Silver Ferns].
‘‘It does take a bit of getting used to. We’ve been working hard over the last few weeks to adapt to that.’’
After playing South Africa, the Silver Ferns round off the Quad Series against England in Auckland next Wednesday and Australia in Invercargill on September 3.