Silver Ferns Outclass Samoa
The Silver Ferns continued to dominate the Oceania Netball Series in Fiji after posting a comprehensive 89-23 win against Samoa in their second outing in Suva on Tuesday.
That followed an 81-28 win over hosts Fiji in last night’s opening match.
Silver Ferns coach Waimarama Taumaunu continued her trend of using the tournament to test her combinations with a view to the Netball World Cup later this year, casting her net further with two contrasting line-ups from last night for the match-up against Samoa.
Goal shoot Ellen Halpenny was paired with Maria Tuataia, on the comeback trail from injury, and getting her first start since the Commonwealth Games five months ago. Grace Rasmussen (wing attack), Camilla Lees (centre) and Kayla Cullen (wing defence) formed the midcourt unit while Leana de Bruin and rising talent Phoenix Karaka made up the in-circle defensive pairing.
Strong at both ends of the court with veteran shooter Monica Fuimaono and goalkeeper Natalie Jones playing strong hands aided by the subtle touches of late call-up Julianna Na’oupu, a regular in New Zealand ANZ Championship teams in recent years, Samoa made a competitive opening.
Searching for their rhythm, the Silver Ferns made a scrappy start before building on a strong all-round defensive effort to draw into a position of dominance. Tutaia was a decisive presence on attack and well supported by Lees as the Silver Ferns forged a 19-9 lead at the first break.
Unforced errors continued to hamper Samoa on the resumption, the Silver Ferns making full use of the turnover ball as the score mounted. Keeping Samoa scoreless for the opening six minutes and with plenty of room to execute their own play, the Silver Ferns surged to a powerful position when leading 39-15 at the main break.
With all of Samoa’s players New Zealand based, the Silver Ferns remained unfazed with the familiarity of their opponents when Taumaunu again made wholesale changes for the second half.
Tour captain Laura Langman was introduced at centre, keeping her remarkable unbeaten test run intact as she notched up her 115th consecutive international outing. She was joined by Bailey Mes (goal shoot), Jodi Brown (goal attack), Shannon Francois (wing attack) and Katrina Grant (goal defence).
The fresh legs coincided with a lift in pace and intensity from the Silver Ferns, all players contributing to squeezing Samoa in all areas. Overwhelmed, Samoa struggled to contain the rampant Silver Ferns, who suffocated their opponent’s attacking momentum while also picking up a glut of turnover ball on defence.
Recovered from an inflamed tendon, Karaka came into her own in the second half, using her height to great advantage to disrupt Samoa’s scoring opportunities while the Silver Ferns full court defence impressed as they took an impregnable 65-22 lead at three-quarter time.
The Silver Ferns maintained a high intensity until the end against a wilting Samoa.
The match provided Taumaunu with another valuable opportunity to assess her options across all areas of the court with August’s Netball World Cup the key focus.
Samoa and Fiji will square off tomorrow night while the Silver Ferns round out their tour with a second match against Fiji in Suva on Thursday.
Silver Ferns Shooting Stats
Tutaia 16/22 (73%)
Halpenny 23/26 (88%)
Brown 15/17 (88%)
Mes 35/42 (83%)
Samoa Shooting Stats
Fuimaono 7/9 (77%)
Na’oupu 13/17 (76%)
Tuipulotu 3/8 (38%)
Tanimo 0/1 (0)%)