The Silver Ferns have secured a dominant victory over the Australian Diamonds, winning 64-50 in the opening match of the Constellation Cup in Wellington.
This is Australia’s largest loss to New Zealand in netball since 2010.
After a close first quarter, where the Diamonds trailed by just one point (17-16), the Silver Ferns surged ahead in the second quarter, leaving the Australians struggling to recover. By halftime, New Zealand had built a strong 34-25 lead.
Grace Nweke led the charge with an incredible 50 goals from 53 attempts, supported by captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio, who added 14 goals from 15 shots. Despite being ranked No. 1 in the world, the Diamonds found it tough to keep pace. Their coach, Stacey Marinkovich, now faces a seven-game losing streak in New Zealand.
Australia’s Kiera Austin, who performed well in a recent series against England, was replaced at halftime after shooting at just 64%. Marinkovich made several changes to try to improve her team’s performance, but the Silver Ferns remained firmly in control.
The Diamonds managed to narrow the gap to seven goals by the third quarter, but New Zealand finished strong to claim their biggest win against Australia in 14 years.
The next match will take place in Auckland on Wednesday, with the final two games scheduled in Australia, in Perth and Melbourne.
