No shortage of incentive for Silver Ferns ahead of Adelaide
October 9, 2017
With their backs squarely to the wall, the Silver Ferns are desperate for an improved showing across all facets in Wednesday’s third Constellation Cup Test against the Australian Diamonds in Adelaide.
After dropping the first two New Zealand-hosted Tests, the Silver Ferns chances haven’t got any easier with the remaining two matches being played in Australia.
Buoyant after winning the recent Quad Series and Taini Jamison Trophy, the Silver Ferns have not been able to replicate that winning formula against a much-improved Australia. There’s no excuses from the Silver Ferns, coach Janine Southby not faulting the desire or effort but more the application and execution.
WATCH LIVE: 9.30pm (NZT) SKY Sport 3
ON DELAY: 11.20pm (NZT) on Prime
“We’ve still got to keep believing in ourselves. We know we’ve let ourselves down and we’re the first to admit that,” she said.
“For us, it’s about sticking to what we know we do really well and doing it a whole lot better. It’s a short turnaround and we don’t have a lot of time for training to fix things. We’ve got a whole lot of incentive and a whole lot of evidence of stuff we’re doing really well, we’ve just got to believe in that.”
The Diamonds have rebounded in style from the stinging 10-goal Quad Series loss to the Silver Ferns with impressive three and eight-goal wins in the opening two Constellation Cup Tests.
The Silver Ferns have not been able to match their opponents lift in intensity and urgency while captain Caitlin Bassett has been a dominant figure in the Diamonds shooting circle.
“I can’t fault the intensity, the effort and the work rate people are putting in out there but our connections are still not where they need to be and just at times, not using the court as well as we can and having confidence in each other to let the ball go,” Southby said.
There are positives for the Silver Ferns, who have been well in contention during both contests to date, too many soft turnovers proving their downfall. A lift in accuracy and intent will feature strongly in their focus for Wednesday’s outing.
“We don’t want to be in those positions (left playing catch-up), we want to be on the other side of the scoreboard,” Southby said. “We had opportunities in both Tests to do that and just again, at critical moments, didn’t do what we talked about. There are no excuses, it’s just not good enough at this level.”
Fans can tune into SKY Sport 2 from 9.30pm (NZT) Wednesday night, for all the action from the Third Test of the Constellation Cup. Delayed coverage will be shown on Prime from 11.20pm.
After dropping the first two New Zealand-hosted Tests, the Silver Ferns chances haven’t got any easier with the remaining two matches being played in Australia.
Buoyant after winning the recent Quad Series and Taini Jamison Trophy, the Silver Ferns have not been able to replicate that winning formula against a much-improved Australia. There’s no excuses from the Silver Ferns, coach Janine Southby not faulting the desire or effort but more the application and execution.
WATCH LIVE: 9.30pm (NZT) SKY Sport 3
ON DELAY: 11.20pm (NZT) on Prime
“We’ve still got to keep believing in ourselves. We know we’ve let ourselves down and we’re the first to admit that,” she said.
“For us, it’s about sticking to what we know we do really well and doing it a whole lot better. It’s a short turnaround and we don’t have a lot of time for training to fix things. We’ve got a whole lot of incentive and a whole lot of evidence of stuff we’re doing really well, we’ve just got to believe in that.”
The Diamonds have rebounded in style from the stinging 10-goal Quad Series loss to the Silver Ferns with impressive three and eight-goal wins in the opening two Constellation Cup Tests.
The Silver Ferns have not been able to match their opponents lift in intensity and urgency while captain Caitlin Bassett has been a dominant figure in the Diamonds shooting circle.
“I can’t fault the intensity, the effort and the work rate people are putting in out there but our connections are still not where they need to be and just at times, not using the court as well as we can and having confidence in each other to let the ball go,” Southby said.
There are positives for the Silver Ferns, who have been well in contention during both contests to date, too many soft turnovers proving their downfall. A lift in accuracy and intent will feature strongly in their focus for Wednesday’s outing.
“We don’t want to be in those positions (left playing catch-up), we want to be on the other side of the scoreboard,” Southby said. “We had opportunities in both Tests to do that and just again, at critical moments, didn’t do what we talked about. There are no excuses, it’s just not good enough at this level.”
Fans can tune into SKY Sport 2 from 9.30pm (NZT) Wednesday night, for all the action from the Third Test of the Constellation Cup. Delayed coverage will be shown on Prime from 11.20pm.