Silver Ferns’ shortcomings brutally exposed at Netball World Cup

ANALYSIS: Dame Noeline Taurua’s efforts to mask the Silver Ferns’ attacking deficiencies were eventually brutally exposed.

New Zealand’s Netball World Cup title defence ended after a 46-40 semifinal loss to England on Saturday, coming unstuck in the fourth quarter for the third straight game.

That leaves the Ferns battling to avoid their worst finish in the 16 edition history of the World Cup when they face Jamaica in the third-fourth playoff on Monday (2am start).

A lot was going to have to go right for this Ferns squad to go back-to-back at the Netball World Cup for the first time.

Missing the vast experience and leadership of the 2019 title-winning team, spearheaded by Laura Langman and “the fossils”, it was a good rather than great Ferns squad that headed to Cape Town.

Still, there was enough quality in the ranks where a final appearance should have been considered the benchmark.

Taurua mentioned several times prior to the tournament about defence being the name of the game for the Ferns. It was clear they wanted to rely on their defensive strengths to hide some of their attacking flaws.

Centre Kate Heffernan, better known for the defensive side of her game at this early stage of her career, and wing defence-goal defence slide Karin Burger were two key pillars.

If the Ferns were going to topple Australia, Jamaica, and England in the knockout stage, they’d need to prevail in a defensive arm wrestle. Capitalising from any defensive gains they got would be crucial, as would slowing the ball higher up court and keeping it off the circle edge.

In the end, defence wasn’t the problem, as expected.

The Ferns picked up enough defensive ball to beat both Jamaica in their final crossover game, and England in the semifinal.

The issue was their clunky attack and lack of connection and fluidity, which plagued them through the crunch stage of the competition.

Getting the ball into their shooters was a constant battle, having to rattle off a plethora of passes to find a way in. Opposition sides started to exploit that, swarming around the Ferns feeders like bees to a honey pot, which led to mistakes and the ball being coughed up.

Losing arguably their best player, goal shoot Grace Nweke, to a tournament-ending knee injury in pool play, was a hammer blow.

Aside from the possible inclusion of Mystics wing attack Peta Toeava, who was controversially not selected, the Ferns picked the best Cup squad possible. They weren’t able to deliver when it counted, letting themselves down in the fourth quarter in three straight games as their title hopes flamed out.

Toeava’s effectiveness may have been diminished too with Nweke’s injury, given their brilliant connection together.

Maia Wilson stepped up admirably in Nweke’s absence and was accurate with her shooting.

Without Nweke and her 1.93m height and trademark athleticism, quickfire passes into the shooting circle were rare, allowing defences time to settle.

Nweke was always going to be a crucial component to the Ferns’ success in South Africa. When news broke she was done for the tournament, netball nuffies sensed something special would have to happen for the Ferns to win the title.

Incumbent wing attack Gina Crampton, by her high standards, had a quiet World Cup and disappointed in the big games.

Skipper Ameliaranne Ekenasio, like Wilson, shot well, landing 81 of her 88 attempts for the tournament, but was guilty of making mistakes at crucial times. Offensive contact penalties, held ball calls, and miscommunication with a feeder are non-negotiable in the pressure cooker moments.

Heffernan will likely be a Silver Ferns great at the end of her career, but her attacking game internationally remains a work in progress. A menace defensively, some of her option taking on attack in the big games hurt the Ferns.

At just 23 and having only debuted at last year’s Commonwealth Games, Heffernan will only be better for the experience. She will be a rock of the Ferns’ starting seven for years to come and has all the hallmarks to be a future captain.

Jane Watson’s lower leg injury was clearly worse than Ferns management let on.

You don’t select a player of Watson’s quality and not put her out there in a World Cup semifinal unless she’s not 100%.

Watson’s injury, which hindered her towards the end of the ANZ Premiership, was managed carefully at the team’s pre-World Cup training camps. She didn’t have the match fitness and “loading” behind her though to be able to make a difference against England – playing just two minutes.

Taurua, who has done such a marvellous job resurrecting the Ferns after the misery of the 2018 Commonwealth Games under previous coach Janine Southby, will also look inward at herself. Some of her substitutions, or lack of at times, including the England semifinal, caused consternation.

To get the Ferns on top of the dais, Taurua was going to have to extract all the best elements out of this playing group, especially without Nweke.

Not even a serial winner like Taurua could do that. For a deep thinker like herself, who strives for perfection from her players, the Ferns were anything but.