Netball: Victory is 'cherry on the cake' for van Dyk

Silver Ferns skipper Casey Williams led by example last night. Photo / Getty Images

A dominant victory over world netball champions Australia was the "cherry on the cake" for Irene van Dyk last night.

The shooter marked her century of caps for New Zealand by helping the Silver Ferns to a 52-36 success over their biggest rivals.

"To beat the best in the world is obviously the cherry on the cake," she said.

"It's quite a nice way to spend my 100th test."

Australia had gone into the final test in Auckland with an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series and were chasing a fourth successive win, something they hadn't managed for more than a decade.

But the Silver Ferns stopped the rot with a commanding performance in which van Dyk contributed 33 goals at a strike rate of 92 per cent.

She did it having to quell her emotions after she became teary eyed as she was introduced to the crowd before the game and her teammates stood back to let her take the spotlight.

"I wasn't expecting to stand on the line by myself for a wee while with everyone clapping," she said.

"It was very emotional. It was a big game, but I didn't want to make it a big thing. Once we started with the anthems and I had my teammates next to me, I was a little bit more composed."

Van Dyk produced one of the moments of the match - a fourth quarter lay-up that had the 7000 spectators roaring - and she went on to be named player of the test.

At 37, she had now amassed 172 test caps - the others were for South Africa before she switched allegiances in 2000 - by far the most of any netballer.

For the Silver Ferns, victory at Vector Arena was particularly sweet after their heart-breaking one-goal defeat in Invercargill last weekend, a result that handed the series to Australia.

The 16-goal margin at Vector Arena was the biggest in a transtasman clash since New Zealand triumphed 61-36 across town at Trusts Stadium in October 2005.

Skipper Casey Williams' reaction summed up what a difference three days can make.

Having been so memorably "pissed off" after her team's 46-47 loss last Sunday, she was delighted at the turnaround.

"I'm absolutely stoked about that win," she said.

"It wasn't by one or by three. When we do the work, when we get them off our backs and when we keep the intensity, things can happen for us."

Williams and goal keep Katrina Grant were among the Silver Ferns' best, and the defensive pressure they exerted led Australia coach Norma Plummer to pull off her starting shooters, skipper Sharelle McMahon and Susan Pratley, after the third quarter.

It was a significant move, given how well McMahon and Pratley had gone earlier in the series.

However, Williams was quick to deflect praise on the defensive cover further up the court through the likes of wing defence Joline Henry and centre Laura Langman.

"The only reason we can do that is because of the outside pressure in the whole team unit."

The Australians were gracious in defeat, including Plummer, who the previous day had questioned whether van Dyk's 100th New Zealand cap was premature as she believed matches against the World Seven last month didn't deserve to be counted as tests.

Last night, Plummer described van Dyk as a netball icon whose contribution to the sport had been massive.

She also said the Diamonds had come up against a side determined to redeem themselves.

"They played fantastic netball and I think they did it for Irene," she said.

"It just goes to show that you can't ever think you've got anything won.

"That's a great lesson for my players and especially for my younger ones, because if that had been the grand final of the Commonwealth Games, we would have got burnt."

- NZPA