Silver Ferns ready for battle
The Silver Ferns are back on New Zealand soil and determined to end the international season on a winning note.
If they don’t beat the Australian Diamonds in either of their remaining Constellation Cup tests, today in Hamilton and Thursday in Wellington, they will set a new record losing streak against their transTasman rivals.
Their winless run currently stands at nine tests, after defeats in Brisbane last weekend and Townsville on Wednesday, but it hasn’t got them down.
As Jane Watson put it, on the eve of today’s clash at Claudelands Arena: ‘‘We’re definitely ready to fight.’’
In the two tests in Australia, the defender was one of the Ferns’ most impressive players, and while both matches finished with them on the losing end, she said they hadn’t let their standards slip.
‘‘Every training the intensity is high and everyone’s wanting to improve on what’s been happening, so there’s still a really good vibe amongst the group.’’
A year ago, the Ferns fell apart in the Constellation Cup, with their losing margins growing every game.
This time around, they started with a heavy 15-goal defeat in Brisbane, but cut that margin to nine goals in the next test in Townsville. Down 6-0 inside a matter of minutes, they fought back to produce a tight contest, before coming undone in the final period.
Watson acknowledged that the Ferns let an excellent chance slip from their grasp, but said it had been good to be in a contest after the earlier thumping.
‘‘I think maybe in the fourth quarter we lacked a bit of something and couldn’t quite keep up or execute as well as we did the rest of the game.
‘‘It’s feeling good and it’s reassuring to know that we are right there and we can contest.
‘‘We know we’ve still got a lot of improvements to do, so to know that we are in it is quite a good feeling.’’
Now that the Ferns are back in New Zealand, the expectation is that they will continue to reduce the margins in the final two tests, ideally to the point where they finish up in front.
Watson has started at goal-keep and Katrina Grant at goal-defence in all five of the team’s tests under coach Noeline Taurua, and their partnership has improved with every game they’ve played.
Taurua will have Casey Kopua and Kelly Jury back from injury when the team assemble in December for a pre-Christmas camp, which will give her options the next time they play, in the new year, so the onus is on the incumbent pair to make a case for themselves. Looking at her own game, Watson said she had plenty of room for improvement.
‘‘There’s definitely patches where it’s inconsistent and there needs to be a lot more done, and also the work with [Grant] at goal D, just getting our switches on point and getting a bit more ball.’’
No matter what happens in these next two tests, the Silver Ferns will finish with a losing record in 2018.
‘‘We are looking for that win and when we’re ready then it will come.
‘‘Until then, we just need to keep working, so we’ll do all we can. Everyone just needs to do their own jobs and the outcome will come eventually.’’
Every training the intensity is high and everyone’s wanting to improve on what’s been happening . . .