The NZ Men’s side has beaten the Silver Ferns 66-54 to win the Cadbury Netball Series in Auckland today.
The series provided an excellent build up for the Ferns as they focus on next month’s World Championships in Liverpool. After losing the first encounter against the men 54-50 on Thursday night in their first encounter, the rematch presented another challenging opportunity for the Silver Ferns to test their credentials against the versatility, physical presence and athletic capability offered by the men.
The men broke the early deadlock, capitalising on Silver Ferns turnovers with 2.18m shooter Junior Levi well positioned close to the post in helping guide his team to a 16-11 advantage at the first break.
The deft feeding of wing attack Cameron Powell from long range threatened to break the game wide open for the men on the resumption but the Silver Ferns defensive trio of Karin Burger, Casey Kopua and Jane Watson provided the impetus for a thrilling comeback.
Working well together and finding extra space under the hoop, the Silver Ferns shooters excelled. Maria Folau, with a perfect 14 from 14, converting a long-range bomb on the stroke of halftime to leave the men with a tenuous 28-27 lead.
However, the height of Levi proved too much of an obstacle for the Ferns to overcome. Good ball into the shooting circle gave the big man all the opportunities he needed to keep the men out to a decent lead in the second half.
In today’s other game, an impressive All Stars hit the century mark when overpowering the Fiji Pearls 103-29 to seal third spot in the series.
The Ferns now head to Liverpool, where their campaign begins against Malawi on July 12.