SHE famously once called the New Zealand netball team "a bunch of scrubbers" but in Cairns on Saturday Australian netball coach Norma Plummer was far more diplomatic towards our Kiwi cousins.

"I think they are pretty cool, actually," Plummer said, albeit with a hefty helping of mischief in her eyes.

Plummer was in town for the launch of the Marlin Coast Netball Academy and also ran a session with the squad’s athletes at the Smithfield YMCA in the
afternoon.

The Australian Sports Awards 2007 coach of the year is friends with academy head coach Heather McLaren and was happy to offer her expertise to the Far North’s brightest netball talents.

"It keeps the game alive by having these academies and having people like Heather do the work and support the kids is vital," Plummer said.

"It takes a lot of effort because so far up here you’re out of touch of the main crux of where all the action happens.

"People like Heather are worth their weight in gold.

"The players can only get better by having that assistance. If it’s left to just one game a week, it won’t happen no matter if the player’s got promise."

Plummer is a coach who knows how to extract the most from her players.

She guided Australia to victory over New Zealand in last year’s World Netball Championships but since then, her side has been hit hard with retirements, including inspirational captain Liz Ellis.

But Plummer is confident the next wave of talent can keep Australia at the top.

"We set a benchmark and the leadership group knows what that benchmark is and the senior players know we can’t drop that standard," she said.

"The respect of the younger ones for the senior group and the coaching staff around them shows they don’t want to let that go either."

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