Netball: Ferns end tough week with a good win and higher hopes

After one of their toughest weeks on record, the smiles have returned to the Silver Ferns camp following Saturday's pressure-relieving win over the World Seven in Auckland.

But the worry lines still remain on the faces of many observers, as they cast a weary eye to the Australian series beginning in Sydney on Sunday.

Under intense scrutiny from New Zealand sports fans hungry for success, the Ferns went some way towards answering their critics with a confident and cohesive display in their 46-41 win over the World Seven.

Given the quality of the Ferns performances in their opening two tests, it is only natural that there will be some lingering doubts over their ability to foot it with Australia in the upcoming five-test series.

But for the team the win has reaffirmed they are on the right track as they look to implement new strategies and grow their game to ensure Commonwealth Games and world championships success.

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken said although it has been an extremely testing week for her side, the 2-1 series loss has provided solid preparation for what will be a very tough series against the Diamonds.

"I think it will be invaluable," said Aitken.

"Obviously Australia are another step up, they're world champions. But for us to have shown the resilience to come through after two very disappointing games and to have addressed some of those key issues in a short period of time, gives us great heart going forward."

The big challenge for the team now is to ensure that they build on the gains made during the series.

It is clear that if the Ferns are to beat Australia, further improvement needs to be made.

"It's not about having one good one and then letting it go back," said Aitken.

"We've got to shore up what we did last night and then go forward again. But we've got a much better platform to do so than if we'd have a third loss, obviously."

The Ferns produced some spectacular phases of attacking play in the final test, with their speed and ball movement through court.

At times they drew gasps from the crowd.

As the midcourt found their timing and the understanding between the players grew, the merits of the attacking strategies Aitken is trying to implement became evident.

The New Zealand coach said after two muddled opening performances, she is pleased to see improvement in this area.

"I thought it was great in the end that players made a commitment to doing what they said they were going to do, and I thought they really lifted their intensity."

"Getting the links to get the ball out so speedily and with such length does take a bit of confidence and does take a little while to develop. Our aim is to attack really aggressively, and we've got some incredibly talented athletes and they've got the skills so it was great to see."

There are certainly still plenty of areas for improvement, with consistency across the four quarters still proving elusive.

Veteran midcourter Temepara George, who dictated the tempo of the match on Saturday night to be awarded player of the match, believes Saturday's win was only a glimpse of their true potential.

"I think we're just scratching the surface, obviously we've come a long way from a week ago, but there's still much more to come, so it's really, really exciting."

Aitken and assistant coach Waimarama Taumaunu will head over to Adelaide on Wednesday to watch Australia take on the World Seven.

The pair are planning to join the rest of the team in Sydney on Thursday.