Netball: Another big win for Silver Ferns

Jodi Brown in action against Fiji. Photo / Michael Bradley

Silver Ferns 76 Fiji 34
Another convincing win, and another set of attacking options to mull over.

The Silver Ferns wrapped up the Oceania Tri-Series in Suva with predictable ease tonight, trouncing Fiji by 42 goals as coach Waimarama Taumaunu once again took the opportunity to give all 12 players a run.

Taumaunu also got the opportunity to see how her players cope with unexpected curveballs, with the start of the match delayed 45 minutes due to a power outage at the stadium.

Last night's win followed their 81-28 win over the hosts on Monday night, and a 89-23 demolition on Samoa on Tuesday, rounding out a productive pre-season jaunt for the New Zealand side.

Perhaps feeling the effects of a demanding schedule that included three intense training sessions each day on top of the test matches, the Ferns lacked the same sharpness last night as they displayed in the earlier matches, with their unforced error count climbing into the 20s.

Some of those errors can be attributed to the constant stream of changes throughout the match, with four different shooting combinations tested. But the Ferns were also guilty of poor execution at times and will be particularly disappointed to finish off their tour with a ragged final quarter display.

There was also worrying wobbles in the shooting circle, with the Ferns' accuracy dropping away in the final quarter as Maria Tutaia (10/15) and Jodi Brown (19/24) tired.
Rookie shooter Bailey Mes, who got a run for three quarters, had the best return of the night - landing 37 of her 42 attempts in what will be a welcome confidence boost after some poor shooting performances during last year's Constellation Cup and England test series.

And therein lay the value of the tour for individuals. With a massive gulf in world rankings between the New Zealand and the two Pacific Island nations, those players in desperate need of court time and form had the opportunity to do so in a less pressurised environment.

By using the series as a chance to do some matrix testing with her attacking combinations, Taumaunu was also able to breed healthy competition in her squad. In every match the line-up that took the court in the second half were challenged to better what their teammates achieved over the first 30 minutes.

On that front it was the first half line-up that won last night's battle, with New Zealand holding a 41-17 advantage at halftime. The score for the second half: 35-17.

The Ferns would have been disappointed not to have been leading by more heading into halftime. After doing an impressive job defensively to restrict the hosts to just three goals over the first 11 minutes of the second spell, the Ferns dropped the intensity in the lead-in to the break, with a spate of errors leading to a flurry of late goals by Fiji just before the break.

1/4 time: 21-10
1/2 time: 41-17
3/4 time: 61-26