Win the goal; cup a bonus
A WIN can do amazing things for a team in a dark place. The confidence and positivity it brings can ignite a spark that few other things can.
There will be plenty of hopes that rings true for the Silver Ferns tonight.
They had lost nine in a row against Australia prior to Sunday’s 5544 win in Hamilton. That win leaves them a chance of claiming the Constellation Cup tonight in Wellington.
To do that they will need to win by 14 goals or more.
That is a big ask, although it is something few would have predicted they would have had a chance of two weeks ago.
However, things have changed somewhat since then.
The side knows it can beat Australia and it has found some muchneeded confidence, two things coach Noeline Taurua said were key.
‘‘We got a lot of selfbelief and a lot of confidence in what we’re doing — our structures and our strategies — knowing it does actually work,’’ she said of the win.
‘‘But I think now it’s the next task of being able to back ourselves up and being able to put a performance out there that we’re proud of.’’
While the cup was on the line, it was not the Ferns’ major focus.
Taurua was aware winning by 14 goals would be a huge achievement against a wounded Diamonds team.
The main focus was simply on delivering another strong performance and claiming a second win.
That was part of the process as the side prepares for the World Cup in July.
‘‘[Winning the series] would be huge.
‘‘I think the win in itself is going to be huge. If we get that . . . we’d be knocking each other on the head to see if it’s real.
‘‘But I think we know the bigger picture in terms of the worlds in July.
‘‘So every incremental step along the way is very important to what it means to look like long term.’’
Taurua was expecting Australian coach Lisa Alexander to keep her lineup to a ‘‘solid seven’’, rather than making changes as she did on Sunday.
That included bringing dangerous goal shoot Caitlin Bassett back into the starting lineup.
She will pose a major threat, although the Ferns defence showed it was capable of disrup ting the attack well at the weekend.
Jane Watson was outstanding in turning the ball over, while Katrina Grant also had a big game.
Meanwhile, Maria Folau drew praise for her 40 from 41 shooting performance.
A similarly strong shooting performance will be needed tonight, although Taurua said the entire unit would need to perform to get Folau good ball.
Either way, improvement was the team’s main goal, and there was a still a way to go to get to where it needed to be.
‘‘Every game and every training is always about us looking to be better out on court.
‘‘We’ve got the strategy and there’s better understanding and more clarity in the units and now it’s about executing on court.
‘‘So there’s still a few gaps.
‘‘ I must say that we probably haven’t got quite the engine to do what we need to do. But I think every time we take the court there are incremental improvements and that’s what I can see at this stage.’’
Tonight’s game begins at 7.45pm.
❛ We got a lot of self belief and a lot of confidence in what we’re doing — our structures and our strategies
— knowing it does actually work