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Melbourne Vixens celebrating their ANZ Championship win - Source: Getty -
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2010 preview: The Australians
tvnz.co.nz talked to former Silver Fern and ONE Sport expert
commentator Jenny May Coffin on the prospects for the Australian
teams in the 2010 ANZ Championship season
Melbourne Vixens
2008 finish: 4th
2009 finish: Champions
"Sharelle McMahon returns for the defending champions and she will be a bonus.
"They have a great system, are all very drilled and if they lose a player the replacement slots in and is barely noticed.
"They are tough, tough competitors. There will be some added pressure being defending champions but with their experience they are capable of handling that expectation. The fitness of McMahon and defender Julie Corletto is vital.
Adelaide Thunderbirds
2008 finish: 3rd
2009 finish: 2nd
"They look very strong with four or five Australian representatives in the team, plus an English and Jamaican internationals. They will miss Natalie Medhurst but the class of Moia Gerrard and Natalie Van Bertouch means they will be one of the teams to beat."
"They finished second last year but with want to go one better this. Their coach is very smart and can change things up with her team."
NSW Swifts:
2008 finish: Champions
2009 finish: 9th
"They will be pretty disappointed after what happened last year, especially losing to the last-placed Pulse. It was pretty embarrassing.
"I expect to see a lot of determination and hunger from them this year. They are a good team with a lot of classy players who just couldn't put it together last year for whatever reason."
Queensland Firebirds
2008 finish: 5th
2009 finish: 5th
"The addition of Natalie Medhurst is a massive plus for them. The position of goal attack is always one they have struggled with but Medhurst brings skills, speed and experience and will be a great foil for giant Jamaican shooter Romelda Aitken.
"They have always had the potential to be there or thereabout and they are going to be one of those teams to beat."
West Coast Fever
2008 finish: 9th
2009 finish: 7th
"They had a very good season last year and they are a typical gutsy Australian side with a couple of nippy, quick mid-courters."
"The Perth-based side will rattle a couple of teams and if they could improve on what they did last season they could be one of the teams to look out for."
Why are the Australian teams so strong?
"It seems that New Zealanders are still coming to grips with the professionalism of the sport.
"Australia has had the AIS so they know what intensity is from the age of 15 or 16-year-olds. We haven't had that type of system before and that is where I believe we have fallen behind.
"They have a tough gritty attitude which has been built from an early age. The only time in New Zealand, in the past, when you got any tough netball was when you went away to camp.
"I believe that they have adapted to professionalism better than we have because they have never known any other way."
