Cover Image: Hannah Howard/On the Ball Media
RESULTS
Test 1 – Wellington: NZ 64 def AUS 50
NZ
Grace Nweke 50/53 (94%)
Ameliaranne Ekenasio 14/15 (93%)
Total: 64/68 (94%)
AUS
Cara Koenen 20/22 (91%)
Sophie Garbin 13/14 (93%)
Kiera Austin 9/14 (64%)
Sophie Dwyer 8/12 (67%)
Total: 50/62 (81%)
MVP: Maddy Gordon (26 assists, 1 gain, 2 pickups)
Test 2 – Auckland: NZ 63 def Aus 52
NZ
Grace Nweke 47/51 (92%)
Ameliaranne Ekenasio 16/18 (89%)
Total: 63/69 (91%)
AUS
Sophie Garbin 30/33 (91%)
Sophie Dwyer 12/14 (86%)
Kiera Austin 10/12 (83%)
Total: 52/59 (88%)
MVP: Grace Nweke (47 goals, 2 rebounds)
Maddy Gordon has come into her own as the Silver Ferns’ centre.
Image – Danny Dalton | Tah Dah Sports
MATCH SUMMARIES
Test 1 – TSB Arena (Wellington/ Pōneke)
Slick attacking connections and full-court defensive pressure by the Silver Ferns unravelled the usually dominant Australian Diamonds, giving them their most comprehensive defeat in 14 years, 64-50.
Despite a tightly contested first quarter, the Silver Ferns went up another gear in the second quarter at both ends of the court, separating the Diamonds’ defensive structure with quick ball speed and forcing their attack into uncharacteristic turnovers. Maddy Gordon gave her best performance in the Silver Ferns dress at centre. On attack, she had the highest amount of feeds (29) and goal assists (26) on court and in defence, while her combination with Kate Heffernan flustered the Australian attack to feed some low percentage balls to their shooters.
Another standout was Ameliaranne Ekenasio, whose impact could not be stopped despite playing three different opponents. Ekenasio demonstrated a consistently high work rate for the entire game, shooting at 93% (14/15), had 16 centre pass receives, and 11 goal assists. Her increased presence forced the Australian defence to try and shut her down, exposing an easier option into Grace Nweke and allowing her to score 50 goals at 94%.
On defence, the Diamonds were one step behind their opponents, to the point that they were following rather than contesting. Courtney Bruce was the Diamonds’ best player despite returning to international netball for the first time since January. Her individual presence was enough to put the Ferns’ attack in doubt, generating pressure into 3 deflections, 3 gains and one intercept.
The Diamonds’ usual flow in the attacking third never eventuated. The defensive pressure over the shot by Kelly Jackson saw all four shooters used and forced their two goal attack options, Kiera Austin and Sophie Dwyer, to shoot poorly at 64% and 67%, respectively.
Test 2 – Spark Arena (Auckland/ Tāmaki Makaurau)
The Diamonds’ ability to rebound from Test 1 was halted by an unbreakable Silver Ferns’ attacking end and punishing full-court defence, leading to a second double-digit loss for the Australians, 63-52. This was the Fern’s 8th consecutive win over the world number one in New Zealand, and they are now one win away from their third Constellation Cup series win.
Stacey Marinkovich made several changes to her starting lineup, rewarding Kate Maloney, Sunday Aryang and Sarah Klau for strong performances against England over established players who had helped the Diamonds win the Netball World Cup. However, the Ferns’ use of ball speed to avoid the man-on-man defence of the Diamonds gave their feeders high percentage looks into Grace Nweke.
A dominant first-quarter performance by the Ferns, 17-11, forced Marinkovich to make several changes to break momentum. Captain Liz Watson went to the bench after the first quarter, Jo Weston and Courtney Bruce were brought on just before halftime to put fear in the Ferns’ attack but to little avail.
However, the Diamonds shooting circle continued as a major concern. The Silver Ferns’ defensive end created major doubt in the Australian attackers. Kelly Jackson’s long lean forced the shooters to avoid shooting long, and pass off in the circle, causing turnovers not seen by the Diamonds in years. Kim Green highlighted that the Diamonds and especially Sophie Garbin “are playing into their (NZ) defensive structure”.
Grace Nweke was unbeatable in Test 2, shooting 47 goals at 92.2% and was able to rein in the ball under immense pressure. She is essential to the Ferns’ attack and in Test 2, Nweke’s athleticism allowed the Ferns’ to play with fast ball speed and play with flair to get around the Diamonds.
The Ferns also used the interchange incredibly well to stump the slight momentum swings in favour of the Diamonds’. Claire O’Brien came on well at wing attack to aid the transition from the defensive third to score, while Parris Mason’s tenacity and strong combination work with Pulse teammates Kelly Jackson and Maddy Gordon heightened the defensive pressure for the Ferns.
Noeline Taurua has had faith in her players this series to do the job and the results are coming out on the court.
Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio and fellow shooter Grace Nweke have formed an incredible partnership. Image: Nicole Mudgway
WHAT WORKED
After a series loss against the Roses and a drop in world rankings to number three, by their own admission the Silver Ferns have had some frank and uncomfortable conversations. Their new found unity – just witness the support from their bench – saw them play a fierce and unstoppable brand of netball. And while there have been question marks over coach Noeline Taurua’s fitness policies, her point was proved when the Silver Ferns were able to start strongly and maintain their intensity across sixty minutes.
Their team statistics sat well clear of Australia’s across both matches, particularly in the second match. The Silver Ferns have always prided themselves on maintaining possession, and it’s a stat that’s been wayward in recent years. However, they gave up just 10 turnovers in the first match and 15 in the second, both superior to Australia’s 16 and 17 respectively. They were also dominant in shooting possession, averaging 92.5% across the two matches, compared to Australia’s more modest 84%.
Where New Zealand really shone was converting their centre passes and gains, which sat at levels far superior to the Diamonds. In contrast they were able to break down Australia’s usually reliable teamwork and unit cohesion to gain a winning edge over their opponents. With New Zealand able to fragment those units particularly defensively, the Diamonds looked hesitant and disjointed in attack.
| Match 1 | New Zealand | Australia |
| Centre pass conversion % | 83% | 71% |
| Gain conversion % | 86% | 75% |
| Turnover conversion % | 83% | 100% |
| Match 2 | New Zealand | Australia |
| Centre pass conversion % | 88% | 69% |
| Gain conversion % | 70% | 50% |
| Turnover conversion % | 36% | 73% |
With Australia’s circle defenders struggling, it was their attacking unit that stepped up defensively in the second match to create some much needed gains against New Zealand. Sophie Dwyer outshone the rest with two, while Sophie Garbin, Paige Hadley and Jamie-Lee Price each chipped in with one.
Sophie Dwyer has gained more court time than she did in the Roses’ series. Image: May Bailey | Clusterpix Photography
WHAT WAS CHALLENGING
After an impressive series against the England Roses where she shot 92%, 86% and 82%, Kiera Austin has been challenged by the Ferns defence across the two tests. She faced early physical pressure from Karin Burger, and once shooting for goal, a long lean over her shot by Jackson. Austin’s low release is an issue when facing tall defenders, and her 6 turnovers across four quarters of game play and 64% shooting accuracy in the first test are grounds for Marinkovich to explore other options at goal attack.
Her struggles did give valuable court time to Sophie Dwyer who brought impact and solid movement to the match and may provide brink Diamonds player, Georgie Horjus, an opportunity in either Perth or Melbourne.
The international game has become an attacker’s one, with gains increasingly harder to come by – particularly by circle defenders. While it does make for less of a spectacle for fans, it also increases the responsibility of players outside the circle to come up with winning plays for their teams. And while there remain some matches where defenders come up with ball, it’s worth exploring trends across the first two matches.
| Test 1 | Total Gains | Circle defender gains | Non circle defender gains |
| NZ | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| Aust | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Test 2 | |||
| NZ | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Aust | 6 | 1 | 5 |
While New Zealand fans will be delighted with two massive wins, the Silver Ferns used just one major shooting combination of Nweke and Ekenasio across both matches. Depth in this area of the court is a particular concern if injury should strike or in the intensity of a multi-day tournament, so will New Zealand continue with their tried and tested combination in Australia and go for the outright Constellation Cup win, or look to get time into some of their alternatives?
In international netball, more of the defensive heavy lifting now needs to be done by the midcourt and shooters. Image Aliesha Vicars
KEY PLAYERS
While a lot of attention has rightly been paid to New Zealand’s big guns, Kimiora Poi was one of their unsung heroes and a revelation across the first two games. In recent years the Silver Ferns have struggled to gain depth on second phase and penetrate their attacking third, so Poi’s ability to slice through the Australian defence and land on or close to the circle edge was a major point of difference in their appearance. Poi was also able to sight Nweke and release quickly, while giving up just three turnovers across the two matches, showing just how effective she was.
The two Most Valuable Players during the New Zealand leg of Maddy Gordon and Grace Nweke have developed a valuable connection for the Silver Ferns. Gordon’s ability to feed Nweke seamlessly sees her as the series highest goal assister (49) with only 2 turnovers which were both made in Test 2. This ability to feed Nweke accurately means the Ferns can easily offload the ball in challenging circumstances and still score despite strong defensive pressure. For the Diamonds to defeat the Ferns in Australia, they will need to force Gordon off the circle edge and force the Ferns to utilise their Goal Attack more than the easy-release point of Nweke.
Cara Koenen has been the only Australian player who has won their one-on-one competition when she came on in Test 1 against Kelly Jackson. Koenen shot 20 goals at 91% over two and a half quarters and was instrumental to the Diamond’s 3rd quarter comeback. Her speed along the baseline has been a kryptonite play against Jackson across several Constellation Cup series and her impeccable timing on the rebound made the Ferns’ defence work double time in shutting her down. As one of the Diamonds’ best in test 1, her no-show during test 2 was interesting.
While she may not have registered much in the stats, Sunday Aryang did a power of work in both matches. Her influence was particularly key at wing defence, where she managed to quell Poi’s impact late in test 2. With Jamie-Lee Price’s defensive nous most likely needed at centre, Aryang’s ability to reduce the link between Poi and Nweke will become critical to the Diamonds’ hopes of a win,
Ekenasio was strong, especially partnered with her shooting counterpart in Nweke. As many know Ekenasio is lethal from just about anywhere in the circle, so her ability to draw a defender to the top of the circle, so Nweke had the one-on-one, was a real highlight. Ekenasio was on fire across both the opening two games in her own right, being that real playmaker in the attacking third. She also had a high volume across the two tests, averaging 15 goals a game and shooting at 91% accuracy.
Kimiora Poi has come into her own internationally, after a few years in the wilderness. Image Steve McLeod
What lies ahead
Game three in Perth on Sunday could be a history-making moment. The Silver Ferns have never won the first three games in a row of a Constellation Cup series since the competition’s inception in 2010. Traditionally, the series has been tightly contested, but the Ferns have an opportunity to change that this year. Adding to the buzz and excitement among the international netball community, especially Silver Ferns fans – is the anticipation for what is set to be a massive test three, and a must-win for the Diamonds if they want to keep the championship alive.
What they said?
Dame Noeline Taurua
“Yeah very much so for us to do a back-to-back but I think in that manner. Mentally we were tough out there and we were able to withstand what Aussies were doing as well but one of the things we have been working on is our ability to dictate and control the momentum and I feel that we’re doing that fantastic.”
“Every time we’ve gone over there for the third test, we’ve been walloped.”
“[Australia have] become really physical and sometimes the umpires sort of change up as well so we’ve got to be smart in what we do, our lines are really important, how we either attack the line defensively or we take the line off the opposition and be prepared to take the body on.
“This is a big test for us and it’s pretty cool. If we’re going to [win] it, now is the time to do it.”
Stacey Marinkovich
“Overall there isn’t a huge amount of defence (defensive gains) in international netball. It’s very much an attackers game. You have to hold possession for long periods of time, and you have to be really accurate to post. You have to make the most of those opportunities you get, and we let a couple slip.
“I think you know it’s more about how we played the game and Ii think you know there is things that we do really really well and then there’s is things that we do that is a bit carefree where we are giving away the simple little passes in attack and defensively we have gotta be able to get our angles and do the repeated work.
“They moved the ball really fast, the ability to go short and obviously Grace is a focal point.. I thought we did it in patches and got a couple of good results but we have got to get that consistency and presence from the first whistle.”
“I thought we gave away too many obstructions so we released a lot of pressure throughout the court tonight and it’s something we have got to adjust to the umpires.”
“Gotta work out why we aren’t attacking the game as much when we are here, but full credit to New Zealand they have really brought their – they’re really moving the ball well and they have some really good structures out there that are getting good results.”
Ameliaranne Ekenasio
“Yeah, it’s actually even hard to kind of put it all into one because, yeah, I think I said after the last match, yeah, we’ve been through some pretty rough couple of weeks, but we’ve also actually been through some really, really great times together and I think that adversity and challenges and being able to come together has just brought this like real unity, this real want to play for each other and the team.
So, yeah, I was just emotional because it’s taken a lot to get us to that point. It’s taking a lot of us pretty much putting it all out there, showing ourselves as open and honestly as we can. So, yeah, just really, really proud. Also, it’s just super enjoyable to see it come to fruition on court. And being out there, just how hard was it especially on your CPA when you’ve got people ripping either side of you and just having that patience.”
“Yeah, it was tough man out there, but we kind of knew that’s that’s what we expect from from Australia what we expect from the Diamonds and especially after taking that first game, you know, we were kind of gearing up for even a bigger second game from them. So yeah kind of really expected it, but it doesn’t make it any easier was super tough I was honestly really proud of both Kimmy and Cobb who came into that wing attack position.”
“Oh I mean yeah I love Mason, what she brings to the team, her ability to just go in for the right ball. She is also super smart and shes really clever the way she plays. She is a combinations person as well and her vision and the way she reads the game is outstanding especially for her age and so she is one to watch for the future. Just really excited to have her back in the team.”
Paige Hadley
“You go into every game obviously wanting to win, wanting to be at our standards no matter if it’s two down or two up. We want to put a good game plan in place, we want to be able to win the last two and bring the last game obviously into extra time and keep the Constellation Cup.
“We obviously came here with a purpose to win on New Zealand soil, but I think as Stace said we have combinations, we have people going out there challenging for first positions so looking forward to seeing what we can do in Perth.”
