Australia Diamonds vs New Zealand Ferns, latest results, highlights, talking points, analysis, netball news

Australia coach Stacey Marinkovich tasked her world champion Diamonds with a four-quarter performance in the Constellation Cup final and deciding test on Monday after losing to New Zealand 56-53 in a see-saw affair in Invercargill last night.

Led by a powerful defensive effort and 21-year-old shooter Grace Nweke, who shot 34/36 in 46 minutes in her second match following a kneecap injury, the Ferns got the better of Australia in the third test to recover the series. at 2/1.

The Kiwis must now win the final match, in Auckland on Monday afternoon, by 17 or more to claim the trophy, which goes to Australia.

Watch all Constellation Cup Series 2023 matches for free and live on Kayo Freebies. Sign up now and start streaming instantly >

But the Diamonds won’t be happy with winning on goal differential.

“We’re definitely not coming in to try to win on goal percentage or on for-and-against,” Marinkovich said after last night’s loss.

“We want to be able to come away from this Constellation Cup knowing that our style of netball can be played in New Zealand and in front of (their) home crowds and that we can absorb the environment but also have great confidence to attack the match.

“We showed that in games we did it for two…but can we do it in four quarters?” » Marinkovitch asked.

Here are the big talking points from the clash.

Ferns in the area: Plummer

South Africa coach and Australian legend Norma Plummer – currently in Cairns preparing the Proteas for an upcoming three-Test series against the Diamonds – said the Silver Ferns went back to basics to claim victory, leaning heavily on the omnipresent Kiwi zone.

“The second quarter saw New Zealand finally strengthen their zonal defense, after being poor (in this area) in the first two games of the Constellation Cup,” Plummer told Fox Netball.

“They got a lot of ball back and forced a change in the Diamonds’ shooting,” the big coach said, referring to a change that saw Cara Koenen replace Kiera Austin at goal attack and Sophie Garbin move to shooter about four minutes before halftime. .

Plummer was full of praise for Kiwi goaltender Kelly Jury, who finished with five gains, including two steals, two rebounds, a deflection with a gain, as well as a game-high four deflections without a gain . The veteran coach said the MVP’s “strong defense on the shot was impressive.”

But there was plenty of support from the jury, with the Ferns remaining disciplined in defense all over the pitch.

“New Zealand definitely deserved the win. They looked like what the Silver Ferns are known for…their zone. Their defense was a huge improvement over previous tests,” Plummer said.

World Cup hero Garbin shines

For the first time in this series, World Cup hero Sophie Garbin was given a chance to shine and, although she proved a solid target and was Australia’s top scorer with 21, her only failure in 42 minutes on the pitch proved costly.

With just over a minute and a half left and the Ferns leading 53-51, Garbin rebounded a missed mid-range attempt from Kiera Austin, but couldn’t place the simplest of attempts under the post.

Ferns goalkeeper Kelly Jury was tipped on the ball as it went out. It was collected by her center Maddy Gordon and it was thanks to the Kiwis’ goal, thanks to the care of Grace Nweke, in around 20 seconds, taking the advantage to three in front of a New Zealand center.

Speaking after the match, captain Liz Watson applauded Garbin, saying she “started well”.

“She’s such a big target in there…we know we can let the ball go.” She calls for the ball, she occupies the circle, she holds on really hard,” Watson said.

“I think it was probably just the general offensive play and the way we were able to pass the ball to him – missed passes and missed moves – all those sorts of things that let us down in those critical moments,” he said. she declared.

The “forgotten position” proves vital

For former Sunshine Coast Lightning coach Kylee Byrne, the test was on the vital wing defense position.

“Very often the forgotten position of each team, the full-back can go unnoticed in a match, but their contribution can have a huge impact on the score. The unsung hero for the Ferns in that game was (Kiwi wing defence) Kate Heffernan,” Byrne said.

“She was incredible in her job, either lifting the ball for the panel and the New Zealand zone, or cutting Cara Koenen’s connections in the second phase.

“With both teams working tirelessly to try and get the ball to the edge of the circle for the feed, the importance of the WD was even greater and Heffernan delivered, resulting in Kiera Austin putting in hours extra to be an option out of the circle and away from the post,” Byrne said of Heffernan, who recorded no gains.

Following the retirement of Ash Brazill, the Diamonds are looking for a starting defense and Sunday Aryang has impressed Byrne.

“Aryang is special and with more playing time for the Diamonds, he will become a superstar,” she said.

In the last Test, “the battle of the wing shots” could well be decisive, concluded Byrne.

A lesson in pressure: Marinkovich

The defeat in Invercargill taught Australian coach Stacey Marinkovich a lot about how her team and coaching staff can – or cannot – handle what she calls “perceived pressure”.

And that’s something the Diamonds will work on ahead of the fourth and final game of the series, in Auckland on Monday night.

“I think there’s a point where there’s a perception of pressure and what it feels like there…so there are incredible lessons to be learned from that experience,” Marinkovich said after the match.

“There was a time when it felt like the momentum had changed dramatically, but we were still in control of the game.

“And that’s what we need to look at…how we were behaving on the bench and in our interactions with the court and what the players were doing on the court at the same time,” she said.

Marinkovich defined it as a lesson.

“The confidence we get from this group is that we can learn from one experience and it’s just not going to happen in the next game. We are going to have to work hard. We will have to understand what is unfolding in front of us.

“But we have the footage. We can actually take a look. It’s a short turnaround time, so you need to be able to rest and recover first and foremost. This group is pretty united and pretty determined, so we’re all going to go back and do our best in Auckland.

An MVP verdict for the jury

Kiwi goalkeeper Kelly Jury became the first defender to win the MVP of this series with one of her best games in a black dress.

The 192cm star forced a number of changes in the Australian forward line after getting spikes and touches early and exploiting his height and reach to put pressure on Australia’s shots.

The jury recorded five wins, the most for a Fern in this series. They included two rebounds, two steals – one each in the second and final quarters – as well as one deflection for gain and four deflections for no gain.

In addition to her own play, Jury was pleased with the amount of ball won by the backline.

“We went away after the last two games and thought about it and decided that we weren’t really focusing on our strengths. We are all big humans, so using our wingspan is crucial,” she said.

“We (didn’t) want to find ourselves chasing because they have incredible ball speed and footwork. Once you continue, you’re in no man’s land.

“So (it was) using our wingspan, using our width and we managed to get some tricks on the ball and (some) disruption… and I guess getting them to question themselves on what ‘They were doing it,’ Jury, who played his second full game at goalie in the series, said.