Nweke stands tall as Ferns beat Aotearoa Men
Grace Nweke would likely have been one of the players Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua was seeking a clear improvement from in her next outing.
The teenager literally put her hands up to show Taurua that she does have a big international future with a starring role as the New Zealand side beat Aotearoa Men 58-47 in the first of three games in Wellington last night.
Nweke was introduced at the start of the second quarter, with the Ferns trailing 16-9 after ‘‘fart-arseing around’’ as Taurua eloquently described it in the break after the initial 15 minutes.
Nweke rapidly changed the tenor of the game, with her presence and physicality enabling her to dominate the circle.
After trailing 18-9 and with the game rapidly slipping away, Nweke took over the scoring and had her side level at 21-21 with 4:35 left in
the half as New Zealand scored six times without reply.
Nweke had more shots herself (15) than the NZ shooting circle pair had combined in the first quarter, making 13 and adding four rebounds. She ended with 39 goals from 44 attempts as the Ferns outscored their rivals 20-10 in the final quarter.
The 19-year-old’s display came after she struggled in her introduction to the international scene in the 2-1 series loss to England last month.
Taurua said prior to the series against the men’s select side for a third successive year that some of her squad were exposed by the defending Commonwealth Games gold medallists.
Nweke was used in combinations with Jamie Hume, Te Paea Selby-rickit and Maia Wilson as New Zealand came from behind as their opponents tired late.