Dame Noeline Taurua knows better than most just how dangerous a wounded Australian netball team can be.
The Silver Ferns made a triumphant start to the Constellation Cup, winning game one 49-44 behind closed doors at Christchurch Arena on Tuesday.
With a quick turnaround to Wednesday’s second test (7.15pm start), Taurua was expecting a vastly improved Australian side.
Having coached in Australia’s Super Netball for three years, where she won two titles with the Sunshine Coast Lightning, Taurua is well versed with the Australian players. After a loss, the Diamonds tended to rebound with a dominant display.
Australia finished the game positively, winning the final quarter 13-9, and showed glimpses of their quality. The Diamonds will be better for the court-time, having only got out of managed isolation on Monday.
Taurua predicted Australia might go with the same lineup they used in the fourth quarter on Wednesday with debutante Cara Koenen, who landed all seven goals, and fellow first cap Verity Charles impressing off the bench.
“Considering they’ve been in quarantine and probably had limited time together I think overall they actually get a pass mark for that,” Taurua said.
“I think it’s going to be quite interesting what happens [on Wednesday] and obviously the next couple of tests as well and seeing if they make changes with new ones coming in.”
New Zealand led from start to finish in front of 100 supporters, including the parents of Ferns’ Jane Watson and Shannon Saunders.
The Ferns led by as many as 11 goals and Taurua said it was a pleasing starting point for her side.
Not having won the Constellation Cup since 2012, it was vital the Ferns took out game one to gain some early confidence.
It was just the Ferns’ fifth win from 13 games against Australia since Taurua took over as coach in August 2018.
“Overall it’s a great start for us, especially coming out with the win, but also we know we can do more…
“I think there were some times you would have seen where we got quite hesitant and very stationary and because of that we got monstered as well – they’re very tall.
“When we kept the ball moving and got a bit more width we were able to easy on in and get some really good angles [on attack].”
The Ferns had 11 more attempts than Australia and capitalised from Diamonds’ turnovers, scoring 14 goals.
Australia committed 27 turnovers, compared to the Ferns’ 18, which stung them at crucial points in the game. New coach Stacey Marinkovich, guiding the Diamonds for the first time on Tuesday, would be demanding better retention and fewer errors in game two.
Ferns wing attack Gina Crampton, named player of the match, was encouraged by the performance, but said they needed to be ready for the Australian response.
Veteran Fern Bailey Mes is the lone member of the squad to have won the Constellation Cup in her first year of international netball. Crampton said they desperately wanted to reclaim the trophy.
“We know this is something we want to take out. Beating Aussie once is hard enough, let alone three or four times. This is a good chance for us to take it and we’ve spoken about it that we really want to take this one.”
Playing in front of a mostly empty stadium under level 2 restrictions was an interesting experience for Crampton. Despite the limited number of spectators, she said they made up for it with some enthusiastic support.
“It was a bit different, but I thought the people that came along were very vocal which is lovely, and nice that the girls could have some friends and family in the crowd.
“It’s been spoken about leading into this and all week that we’re just so grateful to be here. We’ll play with no-one in the crowd.”
Marinkovich drew positives from Australia’s finish to the game and said there were passages of play, where they looked threatening, including a 5-0 run in the third quarter to trim New Zealand’s lead to 34-29.
Australia had three debutantes take the court, goal attack Kiera Austin, who played the full 60 minutes, and Koenen and Charles.
“We took a little bit of time to adjust to the umpiring and the different style of defence, but once we got that you could also see the brand we want to play and the speed we want to take the ball through,” Marinkovich said.
“I think there was ebbs and flows and you saw where we were polished and I think we’ve got to recognise how to control that speed at the same time.”
AT A GLANCE:
New Zealand 49 (Maia Wilson: 31/40, Ameliaranne Ekenasio: 18/23) Australia 44 (Caitlin Bassett: 19/21, Kiera Austin: 18/24, Cara Koenen: 7/7) Quarter scores: 1Q: 14-10, HT: 28-21, 3Q: 40-31.
