Ferns face true test against familiar foe

Noeline Taurua will have a fair idea how her new-look Silver Ferns are tracking late tomorrow afternoon.

New Zealand face Australia, for so long the benchmark of world netball, in their final game of the Quad Series in Melbourne.

Taurua, who has been in the head coach role for just over three weeks, described Australia as the perfect yardstick for measuring where the Ferns were at ahead of October’s four-game Constellation Cup series against the same opponent.

The Silver Ferns have delivered a mixed bag in their first two Quad Series matches.

There were early teething signs in a 52-39 loss to England last Saturday in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest losing margin in history to the Roses.

They were much improved in Tuesday’s 61-37 shellacking of South Africa, but Australia will be a major step up in intensity and accuracy.

Taurua is eager to see how players respond in high pressure moments and what they can do against some of the best names in their positions in the sport.

‘‘Once again it’s a tester for us and it’s what we need. We need to be playing against these big teams and it will be easier to know what the plan is moving forward.

‘‘To play against Australia, we’ll know how close or how far away we are from the opposition.’’

It could be the last chance for Ameliaranne Ekenasio, Aliyah Dunn, Elisapeta Toeava, Michaela Sokolich-Beatson and Karin Burger, should they get on court, to impress ahead of the Constellation Cup squad naming on October 4.

New Zealand have a bleak recent record against the Diamonds.

They have lost six straight to their trans-Tasman rivals, the last four by 12 goals or more, and haven’t won since last September in Invercargill (57-47).

Australia has been an unhappy hunting ground, losing the past three games on Australian soil and five of six since the start of 2016.

Not that Taurua is bothered by those numbers.

‘‘I view it as an opportunity to get out there and play one of the best teams in our sport. I’m excited to see what we can do and what are our areas of strengths and weaknesses. The only way we can do that is by playing the best.’’

While the Silver Ferns are firmly in rebuild mode following April’s disastrous Commonwealth Games, where they failed to medal for the first time, which ultimately cost Janine Southby her job, Australia are in a transitional state too.

Former skipper Laura Geitz, Susan Pettitt and Madi Robinson all retired after the Games, but no country in world netball possesses the depth Australia does.

‘‘They’re very strong and you never count any Australian team out at all. They have a great way of developing players coming through and also selection.

‘‘Like normal Australians, as they do, they’ve already prepared [for retirements] and some of the players they’ve had in the wings are becoming starting seven players.’’

Taurua was satisfied with the improvement the Ferns showed in the emphatic win over South Africa.

Their connections between each area of the court remained a work in progress, but that was to be expected given their limited time together.

They had to be clinical with ball placement and ensure they were

‘‘A lot of it is ourselves against ourselves. Can we handle the pressure?’’ Noeline Taurua

What:

When, where:

available to the feeders on attack.

Cashing in and scoring off any defensive scraps they gained from the Diamonds was also critical.

‘‘A lot of it is ourselves against ourselves,’’ Taurua said.

‘‘Can we handle the pressure? Are we prepared to learn new ways or are we working through bad habits? Have we got the fight and passion to be able to keep working under pressure and being able to execute and deliver?’’

The proof will be in the performance in Melbourne.