By Sophie Taylor
The Origin Australian Diamonds came flying out of the gates to begin their 2024 international campaign, defeating the New Zealand Silver Ferns 63-50.
A moment was all the Diamonds needed to shake off the cobwebs, before muscle memory - winning - came into play.
Captain Liz Watson played a starring role from the very beginning, pairing seamlessly with Jamie-Lee Price and Kate Moloney to bring the ball down court.
Composure and patience were the name of the game, as Watson and Price put in the hard yards to open up space for Kiera Austin to move through and eventually spot both Austin and Cara Koenen within the goal circle.
That said, after a rocky start it was the Ferns who were able to gain a bit of ground. While Courtney Bruce made herself known against a reasonably young Ferns circle lineup, goal shooter Grace Nweke was in fine form early and sat at 98 percent accuracy for the match.
Small errors were the thorn in the side during a challenging third quarter, as the Ferns gained confidence and came flying back into the contest. Both sides rang in the changes as they worked to nullify one another, seeing both sides take a moment to settle and showcase their coaches’ smarts.
But despite the Ferns' every effort, the calm and composed Diamonds were hard to stop once they got on a roll. They extended their lead in the beginning of each of the four quarters before the Silver Ferns could rein them back in, continuously piling on the offensive pressure.
A raft of changes was no issue to the Diamonds’ flow and transition down court, coming away with a 13-goal victory.
