Australia's Sophie Garbin snatches possession away from Silver Fern Karin Burger in Wednesday's Constellation Cup match. Photo / Photosport
Another three-quarter display has seen the Silver Ferns crash to a 68-51 loss to the Australia Diamonds in Sydney and go two-nil down in the Constellation Cup series.
A 21-9 collapse in the third stanza undid a gutsy 15-11 margin in the second.
While the midcourt looked more cohesive than in game one, sloppy passes at either end of the court conceded turnovers, which stifled the Ferns’ efforts to stay in the contest.
The Diamonds heaped defensive pressure on Kiwi shooter Grace Nweke, who looked uncharacteristically rattled while copping a barrage of contact.
Goal attack Georgia Heffernan proved to be the standout substitution for the Ferns, settling the midcourt-attacking circle link and shooting confidently.
Defender Catherine Hall also stood out, but her injection at the end of the third quarter by coach Yvette McCausland-Durie came far too late.
After the match, skipper Karin Burger told Sky Sport it was tough to pinpoint what went wrong in the third quarter.
“They were always gonna come out and give it to us, and we obviously have a bit of work to do. Thought we were learning from that first game; but onwards and upwards.”
Burger acknowledged the external pressure stemming from the standing down of coach Dame Noeline Taurua.
“There’s a lot of noise out there and a lot of pressure on us, but the fact that we can come out here and give it our all, even though it’s not coming off the way we want to.
“Our hearts [are] still in it. We still want to represent the black dress and our country really well. Unfortunate that it blows out like that, but obviously we’ll go back and see what we need to do.”
New Zealand started strongly, keeping pace with the Australians. However, a couple of early errors from Martina Salmon – getting penalised for a held ball and sending a pass out of bounds – hinted at trouble to come.
The connection between centre Maddy Gordon and wing attack Mila Reuelu-Buchanan looked to be much improved from game one. Gordon fed the shooters from the edge of the attacking circle more often, with long-range lob passes more of a feature than a staple.
However, errors and mistiming continued within the shooting circle and the defensive end, with Australian defensive pressure again playing a role.
A poor pass from goal keep Kelly Jackson to wing defence Kate Heffernan scuppered a chance to draw back to within two, but the Diamonds pulled away to end the first quarter leading 19-13.
Georgia Heffernan came into goal attack for Salmon in the second quarter, and looked confident in slotting her first three attempts and providing a more consistent link between goal shoot Nweke and the midcourt.
Nweke looked unusually flustered, at one stage missing twice in a row and falling to the ground as she flung a pass back out of the circle. The 1.92m shooter was taking plenty of contact from Diamonds defenders Courtney Bruce and Sunday Aryang, and looked rattled.
Jackson finally pinched an intercept midway through the second stanza after going close several times. She also combined with Burger for a slick steal late in the second, which saw New Zealand win it 15-11 and make the halftime scoreline 30-28.
Parris Mason joined the series for the first time in the third quarter at goal defence, pushing Burger to wing defence. However, it was a short-lived cameo as she struggled to keep up with the pace of Aussie goal attack substitute Georgie Horjus.
Another wayward pass from Jackson to Mason conceded an early turnover. Diamonds midcourter Jami-Lee Price snatched another after a mistimed pass between Burger and Gordon, and suddenly Australia were back out to a seven-goal lead.
As the errors compounded the Ferns lost all rhythm. Burger struggled to make her presence felt with Horjus running riot. Nweke was fighting to reel in passes under huge pressure and taking shots off balance with mixed results.
The Diamonds dominated the third quarter from start to finish, winning it 21-9 for a 51-37 lead heading into the final stanza.
Hall was finally injected into the game at goal keep for Jackson late in the third, immediately preventing a late Sophie Garbin goal.
That impact continued into the final quarter, with Hall’s height and reach causing the Aussie shooters to hesitate.
The Ferns markedly improved in the fourth quarter, cutting their errors. Nweke had a little more time and space in the circle, with Bruce and Aryang both sitting on the bench.
However, Australia still looked comfortable taking the quarter 17-14.
Game three of the four-match series is in Hamilton on Sunday.