At Pulman Arena, Auckland: New Zealand Men 61 (Jay Geldard: 35/37, Cam Powell: 6/8, Ben Smith 13/17, Daniel Jefferies 7/9) Silver Ferns 46 (Selby-Rickit date: 14/19, Maia Wilson: 23/29, Bailey Knife: 09-14) 1Q: 12-12, HT: 29-23, 3Q: 47-33.
Mixed invitees 59 (Quintin Gerber: 36/41, Georgia Heffernan: 5/5, Amos Faitaua-Nanai: 9/10, Grace Friends: 9/9) New Zealand A 47 (Amelianne Ekenasio: 19/22, Tiana Metuarau: 12/14, Jamie Hume: 16/11, Filda Vui: 5/7) 1Q: 16-12, HT: 27-20, 3Q: 41-33.
The Silver Ferns have more than 15 days to go after the Commonwealth Games after being outclassed by the New Zealand men by 15 goals.
Led by 35 goals from striking two-foot archer Jay Geldard, the men secured their spot in Saturday’s Cadbury Series final with a 61-46 win at the Pulman Arena on Thursday.
The Ferns, who opened on Wednesday with an impressive 67-48 win over New Zealand Acouldn’t replicate the same standards struggling against the height of the men.
A win against the Mixed Invitational side on Friday would see the men rematch in the final on Saturday. The men’s 15-goal winning margin against the Ferns was the largest in the three Cadbury Series contested, with the highest being 13.
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She would have been disappointed by their shooting accuracy and only converting 74% of their attempts (46/62), which will not be good enough at the Commonwealth Games. The Ferns struggled to get the ball into their shooters, with the men producing a massive defense across the field and bringing plenty of physicality.
They were also not helped by 22 turnovers, which the men’s team took advantage of and scored regularly.
Keeper Dan Rich and goalkeeper Matt Wetere were excellent in the men’s defensive circle, making life hard for the Ferns’ shooters.
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Silver Ferns center Whitney Souness tries to fight his way through the tough men’s defences.
The Ferns also failed to generate enough impact defensively, as the men’s centre-backs had an easy path to Geldard.
Matches between these sides have tended to be even, with the men winning four of the past seven Cadbury Series games against the Ferns.
This series is all about testing combinations and getting players on the field with 15 days until the Ferns’ first game at the Commonwealth Games against Northern Ireland.
Taurua chose to start Te Paea Selby-Rickit on firing alongside Maia Wilson in the lesser-known target attack role.
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New Zealand goal shooter Jay Geldard converted 35 from 37 against the Silver Ferns.
The Ferns went with an unchanged midcourt and defensive end from how they started against New Zealand A with Whitney Souness back in the middle.
Prolific Ferns shooter Grace Nweke explained the game as a precaution after being punched to the knee against New Zealand A the night before.
There was no lack of intensity to start the game with each possession fiercely contested and the sides swapped the lead back and forth.
The men came out firing to start the second quarter and went on a 10-2 run to race to a 22-14 lead.
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Silver Ferns captain Gina Crampton looks set to get a pass-away against the men.
Geldard was problematic to stop with men’s team feeders Joshua Eriata Vercoe, Cam Powell and center Nick Grimmer letting the ball go and showing excellent visibility.
With play threatening to slip for the Ferns, they struggled down and finished the first half on a positive note to go into halftime trailing 29-23.
The Ferns had 30 tries in the first half, two fewer than the men, but struggled with their shooting accuracy. They scored just 23 goals against 77%, compared to the men who missed just three of their 32 attempts in the first half.
It was a similar story in the third quarter, as the men took the 18-10 deadline to build an impressive 14-goal lead (47-33) approaching the final 15 minutes.
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Gina Crampton and men’s wing defense Junior Tana tangle the ball.
In the first game, the Mixed Invitational-squad won 59-47 vs. New Zealand A, which had lost both opening games.
Goal attempt Quintin Gerber again proved difficult to control in the attacking part, benefiting from accurate feeding, converting 36 from 41.
New Zealand A was solid at the end of the third quarter, trailing 41-33, but the Invitational side pushed clear early in the fourth.
Former Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio had another solid outing for New Zealand A, landing 19 of 22.