By Di O’Connell
She’s nicknamed the Furhmanator and 23-year-old netball defender Susan Furhmann wants another star turn as the Aussie action heroine in tomorrow’s second netball test in Wellington.
In the first, the super sub stifled veteran shooter Irene Van Dyke, who is keen for a different ending to the sequel.
At 1.96m Furhmann stands out – even on a netball court.
“It’s hard not to be a presence on the court when you are 6’5”. I’ve got the height and I use it to my advantage,” she says.
Furhmann’s in your face style rattled Van Dyke once – but probably not twice.
“After she’s had one game like that, the next game is going to be amazing and she’s going to dominate her partner. I’m really looking forward to that,” says Silver Ferns Captain Casey Williams.
Another battle is with the umpires, after Australian coach Norma Plummer labelled the whistleblowers “green”.
They came to training today where the players turned on the charm ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
“We want to make friends with them, because you never know, they could be in Delhi. But it’s frustrating at times when you know that you’re right but you have to admit you’re wrong,” says Williams.
The Ferns might be nice to the umpires but Furhmann’s not expecting any quarter from her opposite.
“She’s been there so many years and she’s got so many tricks she can pull out of her hat. I have to expect a really tough one,” she says of Van Dyke.
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