Diamonds intent on keeping Silver Ferns underfoot
AUSTRALIA aims to give New Zealand not even a sniff of a Constellation Cup netball comeback and avoid the home hiccups of recent years.
The Diamonds have one hand on the Cup after winning both legs of the four- match series on foreign soil.
The teams clash in Adelaide tonight and finish the series in Sydney on Saturday.
“You can’t relax at all, that’s the beauty of Australia- New Zealand games, the moment one team relaxes, the other one strikes,” said Diamonds shooter Susan Pettitt.
“We’ve had two really good games to start the Constellation Cup and put ourselves in a good position, but game three is crucial.
“We don’t want them to get a sniff of it and then have to go to game four for a decider.”
In recent times, the Silver Ferns have had more success in Australia than at home. In the past two years, they have won three of the four games held in Australia, where the Diamonds face more potential distractions.
“We’ve beaten New Zealand in the last two games and been in our own little team bubble,” Pettitt said.
“To come back to Australia, where we will have a bit more media, a bit more of our family and friends in the crowd and catching up with those people. We need to keep our focus on the games because sometimes it’s hard to do that, you kind of get caught up in being home.”
If Pettitt gets on the court tonight she will win her 60th cap, pushing her past Bianca Chatfield into 20th on the alltime Australian appearance list. It has been a significant year for Pettitt, who broke back into the side in early 2017 after a four- year absence.
“Having missed a few selections and having gone through that rollercoaster, you probably puts things in perspective and go back to just enjoying yourself,” she said.
Pettitt has started the first two Constellation Cup games, with her former NSW Swifts teammate Steph Wood replacing her in the second half, with the mobility and smart feeding of both players causing New Zealand plenty of problems.