A SHOOTING superstar and her high-flying team-mates are the players a composed Australia fears the most ahead of their opening match of the world netball championships in Singapore this week.
Diamonds coach Norma Plummer has nominated the Jamaican side as the potential spoilers of the competition and more than capable of preventing a re-match of the Commonwealth Games between Australia and New Zealand at the week-long tournament in Singapore.
Jamaica finished third at the last world championships in New Zealand in 2007 but have since beaten the two powers of world netball in Australia and New Zealand - most recently Australia at home in January - and also England, currently ranked third in the world.
Plummer also believes the Sunshine Girls have significantly benefited from their captain Romelda Aiken's four-years as Queensland's import player in the trans-Tasman netball league contested by Australia and New Zealand clubs.
The 196cm Jamaican is considered among the leading shooters in the world and was the top sharpshooter in the 2011 Trans-Tasman league won by her side, the Queensland Firebirds, with an average per game of 34 goals.
"Romelda is just getting so much stronger,'' Plummer said of the Jamaican 22-year-old her team is likely to meet in the semi-finals of the tournament. "She's a handful and will lift that team. It makes them dangerous.''
Plummer said the Jamaicans have just about perfected a feed into Aiken in the goal circle which makes her almost unstoppable under the goal.
"It's a drop pass which goes up and then almost drops straight down into her hands,'' Plummer said.
But while wary of the Jamaicans Plummer also has faith in her 12 charges.
"Yes we can win here, absolutely,'' she said.
This year's tournament in Singapore will be the 13th edition of the netball world championships with the first held in 1963 in Eastbourne, England.
Australia's first game is against Samoa on Monday with New Zealand, the Commonwealth Games netball champions, taking on Fiji in their opening round match.
Diamonds coach Norma Plummer has nominated the Jamaican side as the potential spoilers of the competition and more than capable of preventing a re-match of the Commonwealth Games between Australia and New Zealand at the week-long tournament in Singapore.
Jamaica finished third at the last world championships in New Zealand in 2007 but have since beaten the two powers of world netball in Australia and New Zealand - most recently Australia at home in January - and also England, currently ranked third in the world.
Plummer also believes the Sunshine Girls have significantly benefited from their captain Romelda Aiken's four-years as Queensland's import player in the trans-Tasman netball league contested by Australia and New Zealand clubs.
The 196cm Jamaican is considered among the leading shooters in the world and was the top sharpshooter in the 2011 Trans-Tasman league won by her side, the Queensland Firebirds, with an average per game of 34 goals.
Plummer said the Jamaicans have just about perfected a feed into Aiken in the goal circle which makes her almost unstoppable under the goal.
"It's a drop pass which goes up and then almost drops straight down into her hands,'' Plummer said.
But while wary of the Jamaicans Plummer also has faith in her 12 charges.
"Yes we can win here, absolutely,'' she said.
This year's tournament in Singapore will be the 13th edition of the netball world championships with the first held in 1963 in Eastbourne, England.
Australia's first game is against Samoa on Monday with New Zealand, the Commonwealth Games netball champions, taking on Fiji in their opening round match.
