By Sophie Taylor
A feisty and physical matchup set West Australian tongues wagging before the New Zealand Silver Ferns ran home with a confident victory to claim the 2024 Constellation Cup trophy.
Despite a close start and similar margin at the main change, the Ferns ran down the Diamonds in an enormous second half to run out victors 43-61.
A heavily defensive first quarter culminated in a 13-all scoreline at the first break as both sides fought valiantly for dominance.
With two gains to her name in the opening term, Jamie-Lee Price was on fire as she worked in overdrive to shut down speedster Kimiora Poi.
The combination between Courtney Bruce and Sarah Klau was on song early while the partnership of Sophie Squared – Garbin in goal shooter and Dwyer in goal attack – continued to shine.
A tougher second term piled on more pressure, with neither team able to get their hands to turnover ball and having to chip the ball around away from prying hands.
Heavy penalties across the court brought the intensity right up and released it in one fell swoop.
A few errant turnovers late in the half set the Ferns up with a two-goal lead at the main change.
The third quarter was a tough one to swallow as the Ferns ran away with a lead and did not relent as the errors began to pile up.
Debutant Georgie Horjus took the court to great applause from the heaving home crowd, running out in wing attack to add another layer of speed to the Diamonds attack.
But as the Ferns’ confidence rose, the Diamonds’ spark began to falter – as did the scoreline.
A harder time getting the ball through the hands-over pressure of the Ferns was the tester, with hesitancy on the feed an issue once again.
It was smooth sailing for the Ferns from there, taking a commanding lead into the final quarter before finishing off the job for the 18-goal victory and the Constellation Cup victory.
