The Silver Ferns have crashed down to earth, the defending champions finishing fourth at the 2023 Netball World Cup.
From the euphoric high of winning the 2019 Netball World Cup, the Silver Ferns now have to sit with record-breaking lows in 2023, coming away from Cape Town without a medal.
In the bronze medal match against Jamaica, the Silver Ferns struggled yet again, losing by seven goals, 52-45.
In the grand final, Australia won their 12th Netball World Cup title, with a 61-45 win over the English Roses, who were playing in their first ever World Cup final. The Roses defeated the Diamonds earlier in the tournament, by just one goal, but couldn’t repeat the feat in the gold medal match as Australia stretched out a lead after a tied first quarter.
New Zealand had never finished lower than third before, their last time not playing for gold being in 1995, when an Irene van Dyk-boosted South African team battled Australia in the final.
It stirs unwanted memories for New Zealand netball fans, of the 2018 Commonwealth Games - the first pinnacle tournament where the Ferns didn’t come home with a medal of any colour.
Captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio was deflated after the loss.
“We’re probably going to have to go away and have a real hard look individually at ourselves and see how we come back together after this," she said.
“Probably right now it’s important to let this one hurt, to remember what it’s like so we can actually be really hungry and come back.”
The Silver Ferns’ initial game plan went out the window when starting wing attack Gina Crampton went down with an ankle injury two and a half minutes into the match. Whitney Souness picked up her bib after Crampton had to be carried off court and straight to physio treatment.
Maddy Gordon was also forced off court in the third quarter due to bleeding on her leg.
After being hesitant to make changes in earlier games, coach Dame Noeline Taurua made rapid changes in her attacking end, the culprits of most of the Ferns’ mistakes.
“I thought when somebody did go on, they actually made quite a nice impact," she told Sky Sport after the match.
“Little things will always cost us and discipline, or our ability to cough up ball at certain times, which actually happened again today.”
Both teams were heavily penalised, in all areas of the court, with some controversial calls being questioned by players on court, but not limited to one team.
The Ferns were resigned to the bronze medal match after a draw against South Africa, followed by a loss to the Jamaicans in pool play and a semifinal loss to England.
An emerging theme of the tournament for the Ferns was a struggle in their final quarters - the team often in the contest until the fourth stanza of their games.
The Ferns didn’t look physically tired by the end of the sixty minutes in any of the games, Taurua’s high fitness standards well documented.
It was more a case of decision making under pressure, the largely inexperienced attacking end throwing ball away or committing offensive contacts when things became physical.
Half the Silver Ferns team had Netball World Cup experience - three attackers and three defenders. But sometimes those players would be left on the bench in key moments.
Jane Watson, who was a standout player in the 2019 semifinal against England, was left on the bench until the final two minutes of the semi this year - far too late to make any difference.
Te Paea Selby-Rickit didn’t play in three of their key games - including their semifinal - despite having one of her best performances in the black dress against Singapore earlier in the tournament.
She would have had a tougher time up against more difficult defenders, but the 64-cap shooter is known to be consistent across games, and has a strong connection with her feeders.
It would be remiss to not mention the loss of Grace Nweke, ruled out of the World Cup after three matches with a partial tear in her patella tendon.
The 1.93m goal shoot had been the number one choice for the GS bib since her debut in 2021, and is known for her dominance under the hoop.
It has been a while since the Ferns had a tall timber to feed, so having to adjust to a more moving circle shouldn’t have been an issue. The Ferns won the 2019 World Cup with Ameliaranne Ekenasio and Maria Folau, neither of whom had a strong hold or dominating height over defenders.
Maia Wilson stood up at goal shoot in the black dress, shooting at an accurate 95 percent since Nweke’s injury, including two games without a miss. However, a few offensive contacts against more physical defenders left Wilson coughing some possession on attack.
Taurua decided to experiment with 1.92m Kelly Jury at wing defence this tournament - far out from her usual goal keep position. It worked well when the Kiwis had time to set up their zone defence, her long arms getting some tips.
But against the speedy Jamaican midcourt, Jury wasn’t as effective at WD, and was moved back to GK for their bronze medal match, where she managed to snatch some good ball off the Jamaican shooters and threaten the feed. So what’s next for the Silver Ferns? They’ll play three matches against the England Roses in New Zealand in September, before finally facing their trans-Tasman rivals again.
The Ferns never met the Australian Diamonds at this World Cup, but will have four matches of the Constellation Cup (two at home, and two away) in October.
Coach Taurua’s contract ends in November, and after this World Cup, it might be time for the Ferns to start afresh and rebuild.
“I’m still quite excited by some of the people that are out there, there’s some young blood coming through," she told Sky Sport.
The Silver Ferns have rebuilt before, and they can do it again.
