Silver Ferns strike gold again
The Silver Ferns erased a fivegoal deficit in the final quarter to secure back-to-back wins against the Australian Diamonds for the first time since 2015.
Just like in the Netball World Cup final in England in July, they prevailed by a single goal, 53-52, to start the Constellation Cup on a winning note.
In winning the fourth quarter 14-8, the world champion Ferns made quite the statement in Christchurch yesterday as they began their pursuit of a rare series win against the Diamonds, something that has eluded them since 2012.
Defender Karin Burger came up trumps in the final few minutes, winning a crucial turnover, which Ameliaranne Ekenasio (29/31) converted to give the Ferns the lead for the final time.
Ekenasio was the breakout star of the Ferns’ World Cup triumph in July and she picked up where she left off in Liverpool, making nine of her 10 attempts in the first quarter while reestablishing her impressive partnership with Maria Folau.
The Ferns eked out a lead for most of the first quarter, holding strong as the Diamonds came back to level the scores on a couple of occasions and carrying a two-goal lead into the first break.
Neither team gave an inch defensively, with the Ferns barely missing a beat despite the loss of veteran Casey Kopua, who retired after the World Cup and was replaced in their starting seven by Phoenix Karaka.
Six minutes into the second quarter, the Ferns’ lead had grown to five, as they continued to make the most of the turnover ball they were winning. But they were swiftly kept in check, as they failed to make the most of an intercept by Katrina Rore that had presented them with an excellent chance to go up seven.
The Diamonds mounted a comeback to end the half, closing the margin to a single goal on the back of a 7-3 run in the final five minutes, while their defence did a good job of frustrating Ekenasio and Folau at the other end.
As the third quarter began, the two teams went goal for goal, with Folau taking on the bulk of the shooting load for the Ferns, scoring their first four goals in the period.
The Diamonds won a turnover with just over five minutes to
play, which they converted to open up a two-goal lead, their first since the opening five minutes of the contest, and by the time the final break came, they had stretched their lead to five.
Ferns coach Noeline Taurua made a change to start the final quarter, introducing Burger in place of Karaka at goal defence, then watched on as her team closed the gap to two, winning two turnovers either side of losing the ball up themselves.
Diamonds wing attack Laura Scherian had coughed up the first of those turnovers and was soon at fault again, penalised for breaking, which allowed the Ferns to close within one with 10 minutes to play, then for being offside, which allowed Folau to net the equaliser.
Ekenasio then won the ball down the court before converting twice in a row to put the Ferns back in front by two with six minutes to play, but her second miss of the afternoon allowed Gretel Tippett to tie things up for the Diamonds with two minutes on the clock.
With the Ferns desperate for a win at home and a positive start to the series, Burger then came up trumps to win a turnover and Ekenasio made amends when it mattered most.
The Ferns need to win two of the remaining three tests to take out the Constellation Cup, with the next clash set for Spark Arena in Auckland on Wednesday.