Netball: Silver Ferns open series with big win

Silver Fern Ellen Halpenny, right, and Fiji's Mere Neiliko in action. Photo / Michael Bradley Photography

Silver Ferns 81 Fiji 28
The Silver Ferns mantra going into this week's Oceania Tri-Series in Fiji was "it's not about the score".

Still, after the season they had last year, kicking off 2015 with a dominant 53-goal win over the hosts must have felt pretty good for the Ferns as they go about rebuilding their game ahead of the World Cup in seven months time.

Given the sizeable gulf in depth and resources between the two sides, last night's match was always going to be a walkover for the Ferns. What was more important for them than setting scoreline targets, was the perfomance, with coach Waimarama Taumaunu looking for consistency, accuracy and seamless changes.

On that front the Ferns will also consider their first hit-out of 2015 a pretty successful outing.

Taumaunu managed to get two completely different attacking line-ups a run for 30 minutes each, giving some fringe members of the squad some much needed game time in the New Zealand environment, whilst also reintroducing star shooter Maria Tutaia to international netball after nearly six months on the sideline with a foot injury.

The team that took the court in Suva last night aren't expected to be the same line-up Taumaunu takes to the World Cup in Sydney, with several experienced stars not making the pre-season trip. Keen to send a strong message to her players about the work the level of commitment required to get to the World Cup, Taumaunu opted to Liana Leota and Cathrine Latu at home to focus on their fitness and conditioning. While others, like Joline Henry and captain Casey Kopua, are nursing injuries - albeit at vastly different ends of the spectrum.

The absence of some of the Ferns more established names has provided the opportunity for fringe members Ellen Halpenny, Camilla Lees and Shannon Francois the chance to push their case for World Cup selection with some solid game time in the New Zealand set-up.

The trio got a half each last night, with Taumaunu keen to test the players in different combinations throughout the series, which also includes Samoa.

Halpenny, veteran shooter Jodi Brown, Camilla Lees and Laura Langman set a strong platform in the first half, although defensive the Ferns' struggled at times to contain the creative Fijian attack as well as the should have.

It was the second half line-up of Tutaia, Bailey Mes, Grace Rasmussen and Francois that proved most effective from a scoring perspective, building on a halftime lead of 36-19 although part of that can be attributed to the tiring Fiji side's inability to match the Ferns' intensity over the latter stages of the game.

There were especially promising signs from Tutaia as she seeks to regain her confidence ahead of the ANZ Championship season after a frustrating stint on the sidelines, with the Ferns most experienced shooter having not lost her touch for her trademark longbombs during the lay-off.

But having been hampered by a painful foot injury, it was more Tutaia's movement and speed around the court that were under the spotlight. She put any such doubts over match fitness and court sharpness to rest early on in her appearance, pulling off a spectacular lay-up after collecting a long-ball from Rasmussen.

The defensive pairing of Katrina Grant and Leana de Bruin, who along with Langman were the only players to play the full 60 minutes, warmed into their work in the balmy Suva heat as the match wore on, upsetting the rhythm of wily shooting pairing oMaria Lutua and Taraima Mitchell over the latter stages.

The Ferns take on Samoa in tonight's second match of the series.