New Zealand beat Australia 56-50 in opening Constellation Cup match — The Guardian

In Auckland, New Zealand, the New Zealand national netball team defeated Australia 56-50 in the opening match of the Constellation Cup series. The match was held at Spark Arena. The Silver Ferns, who won Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow, opened the four-match trans-Tasman series with a victory over the world rankings leader.

New Zealand's early advantage

As The Guardian reports, the Silver Ferns led 15-10 after the first quarter. Grace Nweke converted 40 of 41 shots, spoiling Australian goal keeper Courtney Bruce's 100th match. Nweke's run of four consecutive goals helped the New Zealand team extend its lead to ten goals in the second quarter.

Australia coach Stacey Marinkovich turned to substitutions early in the match, bringing on debutant Jess Grenvold and tasking her with containing Nweke. She also changed the attacking setup, returning Sophie Dwyer to the court. Dwyer played for the first time since a missed shot after the siren in the Commonwealth Games semi-final against Jamaica.

Comeback attempt falls short

In the second half, Marinkovich replaced captain Liz Watson, with Jamie-Lee Price taking the centre position. However, the Australian team was only able to significantly reduce the deficit in the final quarter, which it won 17-11. That was not enough for a comeback.

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New Zealand's defence featured captain Karin Burger and Kelly Jackson. They faced Australia's attacking group, which included Kiera Austin, Sophie Garbin, Cara Koenen and Sophie Dwyer.

Marinkovich said that Australia was still working through the disappointment after the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. There, the team lost to Jamaica in the semi-final, failed to reach the gold-medal match for the first time since 1998 and ultimately won bronze. According to the coach, New Zealand are currently playing very accurately, while the players' Super Netball experience has helped them perform better in tense moments.

If the Silver Ferns win all four matches of the series, New Zealand will be able to overtake Australia in the world rankings for the first time since 2013.