Ferns must rediscover spark
Redemption and respect are critical words for the Silver Ferns after a forgettable 2017 when they lost ground on their major rivals.
New Zealand will attempt to move on from October’s 4-0 Constellation Cup crushing at the hands of Australia during the Quad Series, which begins against England in London tomorrow (NZT).
The Silver Ferns copped plenty of criticism following the transtasman towelling and coach Janine Southby knows they have to regain the trust of the New Zealand sports public. More important is the looming Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April.
Fringe performers only have this series to push their selection claims before the 12-player Commonwealth Games squad is unveiled on February 8.
The bulk will already be confirmed in Southby’s mind, but there are question marks in the midcourt and at goal keep, where the preferred starters and back-up positions are far from set in stone.
Before the Commonwealth Games, the Silver Ferns have one final hit out, the Taini Jamison Trophy, against Jamaica, Malawi and Fiji in Auckland over March 21-24.
New Zealand seemed to be tracking well after toppling Australia 57-47 in Invercargill in August to capture the Quad Series for the first time.
The year ended sourly, though, after being swept by the Diamonds and the losing margin increasing with each match.
Taking away two victories over minnows, Wales, the Silver Ferns lost more games than they won last year.
They also lost two of five tests to an improving England, who had only beaten the Silver Ferns four times previously in their history.
‘‘We absolutely know we let ourselves down in that [Constellation Cup] series. We were hugely disappointed,’’ Southby said.
‘‘Out of that we’ve had a really good look at everything we do and how we approach things.
‘‘What we’ve said to the girls is we cannot keep trying to do the same thing and expect different results.’’
Two key findings from a comprehensive end of series review was the Silver Ferns’ fragile mental toughness and their inability to put it together consistently for four quarters. The Silver Ferns were usually only together for a short amount of time leading into series, so players needed to take increased responsibility when they were at their franchises and with individual training programmes.
Southby believed the younger, inexperienced members of their group would be better for the 2017 growing pains.
‘‘They’ve learned the harsh way and they know they’ve got work to do ... A big message to the girls is we have to be fast learners.’’
Going from a warm Kiwi summer and off-season to single digit temperatures in London was challenging, but Southby said they had strong recovery processes in place since arriving. They played England A in a warm-up match on Thursday (NZT) and Superleague side, Bath, yesterday.
The Silver Ferns had a healthy squad to pick from and Southby confirmed no-one was on managed minutes. She expected to use all 14 players at some point through the Quad Series as they look to further develop combinations and depth.
After the England clash, the bizarre Quad Series format sees the teams journeying 9000km to Johannesburg, South Africa, where the Silver Ferns play the hosts on January 26 and Australia, two days later, on January 28.
England will be confident in front of their home fans at the Copper Box Arena, despite being without leading shooter Jo Harten, who is sidelined with a knee injury. Midcourters Chelsea Pitman, Serena Guthrie and Beth Cobden largely outplayed their New Zealand counterparts last year, forcing turnovers and gobbling up defensive scraps.
Captain Katrina Grant is poised to become New Zealand’s most capped defender, playing her 105th test on tomorrow, overtaking Leana de Bruin’s record.
Wing attack Grace Kara is set for her 50th test in the black dress should she take the court.