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Giant New Zealand male shooter Junior Levi became a starring role to continue his dominance of the Cadbury Series over the Silver Ferns.
For the third time in a row in the past two years, the men triumphed over the Ferns, winning 60-47 at Palmerston North on Thursday night.
The men prevailed in both games of the Cadbury Series against the Ferns last year in Auckland, winning 54-50, then 66-54 in the final. Despite losing both contests, the games proved critical in helping lead the Ferns to the 2019 Netball World Cup title, serving the physical netball they desperately needed.
Last year’s games were the first time the men played the Ferns in front of a crowd and live on television. Teams have regularly played behind closed doors in the past, but until last year it wasn’t on public display.
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With a three-trial series against England looming next week in Hamilton, Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua again rotated her players regularly to assess challengers and manage workloads.
Photograph by Michael Bradley
New Zealand men’s defender Jake Schuster tries to control possession against the Silver Ferns on Thursday.
Defeat the New Zealand Under-21s in the final group game on Friday, as expected, and the Silver Ferns will have another chance to face the New Zealand men in Saturday’s final.
Goal shot Levi, who is 2.14m, 33cm taller than Silver Ferns’ goalkeeper Jane Watson, was again a crucial contributor to men, as she was last year.
Photograph by Michael Bradley
Silver Ferns center Sam Winders weighs his options as he crosses the court against the New Zealand men.
Levi scored 48 and 56 goals in men’s victories over the Ferns last year and again it was nearly impossible to contain.
It provided an easy target for men’s feeders with its long reach and height. Whenever Levi missed an attempt, he was quickly able to rebound and convert.
Levi finished with 40 goals in 44 attempts, being replaced early in the fourth quarter. He also had a whopping seven rebounds, which proved a headache for the defenders of the Ferns circle.
Levi didn’t finish for the night, making a cameo in the final minutes in goal.
Taurua mixed her up by playing 12 before the England series with Whitney Souness, Monica Falkner and Sam Winders moving up to the top team for this game.
The men got off to a great start, jumping to a 9-2 start with the Ferns struggling to get the ball to pitchers Maia Wilson and captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio. It was just as difficult on the other end of the court, trying to stop the flow of the ball towards Levi.
A win was seen with the New Zealand men leading 17-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Silver Ferns showed greater precision in the second period and were able to interrupt some of the men’s possession and scoring with the loose ball.
The Ferns won the second quarter by a 15-13 margin and entered the break with confidence, losing by five goals (30-25).
Any hope that the Ferns would end their losing streak to men disappeared in the third quarter, where they played a skillful game to maintain their dominance on the scoreboard.
Taurua opted for a new combination of shots in the fourth quarter with 18-year-old rising star Grace Nweke alongside Falkner on the attacking side.
Meanwhile, New Zealand A held off a determined New Zealand Under-21 team 57-53 in Thursday’s opening match.
The New Zealand Under-21s took it to their most experienced opponent from the start. They ran to an 8-3 lead and converted all 17 attempts in the first quarter through Savior Tui and Tiana Metuarau.
New Zealand A was bolstered by Silver Ferns team members Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Kimiora Poi and Claire Kersten, who were available for the game.
By halftime, New Zealand A had gone 30-29 on an Ellie Bird shot on goal that made 23 of 26 first-half attempts. New Zealand A held on to a one-goal lead going into the fourth quarter and only managed the result in the closing minutes when they walked away.
Shot on goal under-21 Tui stood out, scoring 40 goals in 44 attempts under heavy pressure from Erena Mikaere.
TAKE A LOOK:
New Zealand Men 60 (Junior Levi: 40/44, Daniel Jefferies: 9/13, Quintin Gerber: 6/7, Cameron Powell: 5/7, Ben Smith: 0/1) Silver ferns 47 (Maia Wilson: 11/15, Ameliaranne Ekenasio: 12/14, Grace Male: 16/24, Monica Falkner: 8/13) Quarterly scores: 1Q: 17-10, HT: 30-25, 3Q: 47-36.
New Zealand A 57 (Ellie Bird 34/41, Te Paea Selby-Rickit 7/9, Aliyah Dunn: 14/19, Jamie Hume: 2/3) New Zealand U21 53 (Salvador Tui: 40/44, Tiana Metuarau: 9/10, Khiarna Williams: 4/5) Quarter scores: 1Q: 15-17, HT: 30-29, 3Q: 44-43.
