Tutaia’s bombs can’t save the Ferns
They say Fast5 netball was made for Maria Tutaia, and as her sweet shot dropped long bomb after long bomb in Melbourne, the Silver Ferns veteran certainly stole the show.
‘‘Dad always said don’t waste time passing it to the other shooters,’’ Tutaia said of her hot hand.
Unfortunately for the Fast5 Ferns, even Tutaia’s shooting could not prevent Kiri Wills’ side from suffering a loss in their third and final match of the day to Australia last night.
Strong defensive pressure tied the Ferns down early as the hosts’ typically aggressive and physical marking found success.
Down 16-9 at half time in the game’s fast-paced abbreviated format, Tutaia stepped up in the third power play quarter to drop three six-point shots and nail 18 points in the space of two minutes to leave everyone stunned.
‘‘Maria Tutaia, you may not be Australian but I still love you,’’ one of the commentators said.
The Ferns’ comeback would not be enough, though. Turnovers down the stretch proved costly, allowing the Australians to storm back in the final period and take a 32-29 victory, finishing day one as the only unbeaten team.
Tutaia, assuming captaincy role, earlier guided the Ferns to a comfortable 49-20 win over South Africa after a tense first up 36-35 victory against a tenacious England outfit.
It’s been a difficult season for Tutaia. She missed much of the international campaign with a foot injury, returning in the latter stages of the Constellation Cup after Ameliaranne Ekenasio made a big impression in her goal attack bib.
But, buoyed by her engagement to Wallabies star Israel Folau, Tutaia was the unquestioned star at Hisense Arena, giving a swift reminder of her class.
Contracted to the Northern Mystics next year, Tutaia is favoured to make the move to join Folau and ply her trade in Australia from 2018.
The 29-year-old would be a huge loss to New Zealand netball, just as veteran midcourter Laura Langman will be next year.
Tutaia led the way as the Ferns cruised past South Africa. Fellow shooter Maia Wilson chimed in to nail 10 from 13 and, at the defensive end, Jane Watson also caused frequent havoc.