Netball: Silver Ferns to tune up for Commonwealth Games with four nations tournament

Silver Ferns captain Katrina Grant will lead her side through a busy 2018 international season. Photo/ Photosport

The Silver Ferns will tune-up for next year's Commonwealth Games with a four-day tournament in Auckland less than two weeks out from the start of the Gold Coast event.

Netball New Zealand today released the international calendar for the 2018 season, which will get under way with the Quad Series in January, and wrap up the Constellation Cup in October.

The unexpected inclusion in the Ferns 2018 calendar is a four nations tournament in March. Netball NZ have pulled together a tournament featuring Jamaica, Malawi and Fiji as they seek international match-play in the lead-up to the April Commonwealth Games.

The tournament, which will be held at the North Shore Events Centre, will replicate a portion of the demanding schedule the teams will experience on the Gold Coast.

The Ferns will be seeking to defend their Quad Series title when they open the year with a demanding two-leg series, with the Ferns travelling to London to play the England Roses, before heading to Johannesburg to meet South Africa and Australia.

The Netball Quad Series returns to New Zealand and Australia in September with the Silver Ferns taking on the England Roses in Auckland as part of a double header with the Australian Diamonds taking on the South Africa Proteas. The action then moves on to Tauranga where the Silver Ferns take on the Proteas, before crossing the ditch to play the Diamonds.

The Ferns international season will wrap up with a four-test series against Australia for the Constellation Cup in October. Hamilton and Wellington will host the games on the New Zealand leg of the series, with Netball Australia yet to confirm venues for the Australian leg.

NNZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie said it was an "impressive line-up" of international competition for the Silver Ferns.

"It's an exciting year for netball when you include the Commonwealth Games into the mix, and the Silver Ferns will have an opportunity to test themselves against a number of our netballing rivals throughout the season," she said.

"The Netball Quad Series, as shown this year, has become a tightly contested event while the Taini Jamison Trophy is a special event which the netballing community here cherish. The international season is going to finish with that exciting transtasman rivalry we all enjoy."

NNZ has also confirmed its domestic calendar starting with the Annual General Meeting from February 25-26.

The ANZ Premiership and Beko Netball League – the country's two major events for New Zealand's elite and rising players – have a later starting date to allow for next year's Commonwealth Games and will run from May to August. The ANZ Premiership Grand Final will be played on August 12.

Nelson will again host the Netball Super Club competition which enjoyed a successful inaugural event at the Trafalgar Centre this year. Leading clubs from around the world will compete for the Netball Super Club title in August.

2018 International Calendar:

Netball Quad Series – versus England Roses, in London (Saturday, January 20); versus South Africa Proteas, in Johannesburg, South Africa (Thursday, January 25); versus Australian Diamonds, in Johannesburg, South Africa (Sunday, January 28).

Taini Jamison Trophy – teams include Silver Ferns, Jamaica Sunshine Girls, Malawi Queens and Fiji Pearls, at North Shore Events Centre, Auckland (March 21-24).

Netball Quad Series – versus England Roses, in Auckland (Saturday, September 15); versus South Africa Proteas, in Tauranga (Tuesday, September 18); versus Australian Diamonds, in Australia (Saturday, September 22).

Constellation Cup – versus Australian Diamonds, in New Zealand on Sunday, October 14 at Claudelands Arena in Hamilton; Thursday, October 18 at TSB Bank Arena in Wellington.