Silver Ferns collapse gifts series to Australia

FIONA GOODALL/Fairfax

ROUGH RIDE: Australian wing defence Renae Hallinan puts pressure on New Zealand midcourter Temepara George during the third test.

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The Silver Ferns are running out of time to learn how to compete with the Australians in tight netball games.

After three competitive and entertaining quarters against the Diamonds in Auckland yesterday, New Zealand capitulated in the final quarter and lost 46-40.

It cost them the Constellation Cup, but possibly more importantly, it gave the world champion Australians another confidence boost ahead of next month's Commonwealth Games in India.

As is her way, coach Ruth Aitken found a silver lining.

"Certainly we're disappointed," she said. "But we do know that a) there's time and b) [a possible Games final] is also a one-off so we have to ensure we bring our best game to the court come Delhi."

Aitken had a clear list of things her team needed to improve on.

"We've got to continue to work really hard to play into open space and get free and get that ball flow, and have to get better at adjusting to umpires and interpretation."

The problem is, they were the same things she wanted to work on after the first test loss in Adelaide last Sunday.

She said she understood that fans might be perplexed at how her side could thrash Australia by 19 one day, then be on the end of a 25-goal turnaround three days later.

"Both teams showed that when they're wounded, they're very dangerous; it's about getting that upper hand and keeping it."

Australian coach Norma Plummer said a sharp talking to for her players kick-started their self-belief, and that had been a major difference.

The Ferns have no more chances to get that upper hand against Plummer's side.

The Ferns are together next week before a week in Singapore en route to India. They play the sport's minnows in the round-robin games in Delhi and face a tough litmus test against England, but will not meet Australia again until the Games playoffs.

Aitken said her side struggled to absorb the pressure brought by the Australians – the same problem the Diamonds had in Wellington on Thursday.

There were plenty of positives for Aitken's side, if you forget the final 15 minutes.

After getting monstered in the first quarter and missing an embarrassing eight shots, the Ferns shooters bounced back strongly.

Irene van Dyk came off at halftime in a pre-planned move and Daneka Wipiiti was injected without the usual drop in momentum bringing off van Dyk can have.

Wipiiti shot well, was fed well and worked hard off the ball. And by introducing another shooter happy to bang them in from long-range, the effectiveness of Australian defender Susan Fuhrmann was limited. That's one trick the Ferns can keep for Delhi, but they'll need more.

The more games Australia win in the dying minutes, the more the Ferns will struggle for confidence in that pressure time.

But Aitken said in a one-off game in India, the Ferns were more than capable of retaining their gold medal.

"We're going to go away hurting after this and we will challenge ourselves to work even harder over the next few weeks. And smarter. But I believe that when we get things right we have the potential to be better than any team in the world."

AT A GLANCE

Australia 46 (Natalie Medhurst 27/32, Sharelle McMahon 19/24) New Zealand 40 (Maria Tutaia 15/23, Irene van Dyk 13/17, Daneka Wipiiti 12/14). First quarter NZ 14-9, halftime 22-22, third quarter 31-31, fulltime Australia 46-40

- © Fairfax NZ News