Irene van Dyk has helped Scottish Thistles, says Hayley Mulheron

Hayley Mulheron has praised the influence Irene van Dyk has had on Scotland’s Netball World Cup preparations.

The Thistles have received help from one of the sport’s most renowned former players to coach them before the tournament in Australia kicks off on August 7, live on Sky Sports 3 HD.

The New Zealander may be known for her shooting ability but, according to Mulheron, her impact has been felt by Scotland all over the court.

"It’s been great having Irene with us over different stages of our final preparations. She’s obviously an absolute legend so the girls have warmed to her."

"She’s mostly been working with our shooters because that’s where her expertise is," Mulheron said.

"She’s had her netball gear on too, so we’ve all played against her which has been great.

"It’s been great having Irene with us over different stages of our final preparations. She’s obviously an absolute legend so the girls have warmed to her."

Scotland open their Netball World Cup campaign against England, the same team that handed them a 67-16 defeat in an exhibition match earlier this month.

Thistles captain Mulheron insists her team embrace playing the best teams and players in the world and will improve when the tournament begins.

"We always knew it would be a tough match because they’re ranked third in the world," she said. "The girls have learned from that, analysed our own performance and we’ve progressed.

"We play the sport to compete against the best like Jo Harten who has been playing professionally in the ANZ. If it was an easy game, we wouldn’t be playing it, so it’s great to come up against the world’s best. Hopefully they challenge us and we have a good game against them.

"Our aim is to be competitive in every match but we have to put out strong performances to prove we can compete with the world’s best."