By Matt Fotia
Stacey Marinkovich has cited an uncharacteristic flurry of unforced errors as one of the driving factors behind the Diamonds third straight Constellation Cup defeat.
The world champions managed just 17 goals in a poor second half showing at RAC Arena on Sunday Night, as the Silver Ferns regained the Constellation Cup with a third successive win, running out 18 goal winners, 61-43.
It is just the third time in Constellation Cup history the Silver Ferns have won the trophy.
Speaking post-game, Marinkovich said the difference between the Diamonds best netball and their worst, was far too big.
“The gap between our good and our not so good is too great,” Marinkovich stated.
“I thought we took a step forward in terms of the energy in the way we got out there in the first half, but it’s the unforced errors and the repetitive nature of them.
“We lose a lot of energy and a lot of confidence quickly and we head into chase mode.
“Full credit to the Silver Ferns they’re playing exceptionally well and putting pressure on all over the court and it’s something we haven’t be able to bridge.”
Stacey Marinkovich addresses her players during their Game 3 defeat.New Zealand’s defensive system has wreaked havoc with the Diamonds across the past fortnight, with the Australian offence struggling to find their usual level of connection.
The Diamonds had 22 turnovers during Sunday Night’s loss, with Marinkovich suggesting New Zealand’s perceived pressure was getting to them.
“What’s there at the moment is perceived pressure,” Marinkovich said.
“When you actually stop the footage, look at it and break it down, you go it’s not what you think it actually is.
“Last game we got 90% to circle edge, so we moved through the New Zealand defence well, it’s just being able to have the tempo, the patience and the confidence to go to post.”
Adding insult to injury is the manner of the defeats, with New Zealand winning every fixture by more than 10 goals.
Marinkovich is worried about the lack of processes in the Diamonds play, rather than stressing about the size of margin.
“The score’s not great, but I think I’ve got to look at how we’re getting to that point. If it’s a small margin or a big margin the mistakes are there,” Marinkovich said.
“We’ve got to be able to get ball, we were a lot braver earlier in the game and I thought we covered a lot better and had a real presence out there, so now we’ve got to get the balance of being able to accumulate that over a long period of time.”
For the second time this series Marinkovich called upon every member of her matchday squad as she searched for a winning combination.
The all-conquering coach also said she was eager to learn more about some of her less experienced players as a new international netball cycle begins.
“We’re trying to get as much information as we can,” Marinkovich explained.
“When things don’t necessarily go in your direction in terms of win-loss, it’s about making sure you get as much information as you can, so you get your build right towards your marquee events.”
“As challenging as it is, to see those scorelines, there are a lot of things we’ve been able to take from them that are you going to shape the direction of how we need to train, the strategies we need to put in place and the way we refresh.”
All 12 Diamonds players hit the court on Sunday Night.Despite this forward thinking, holistic approach, Marinkovich was still adamant her players would put in a much-improved performance in the final match of the series at John Cain Arena on Wednesday,
“There are things within the program we can freshen up, but players need to be able to take accountability,” Marinkovich stated.
“We pride ourselves on our honesty and having those conversations and that’s what we’ll need to do.
“No one wins or loses this on their own, staff and players included.
“We’re going to Melbourne fully focused on making sure we bring a consistent performance.”
