Diamonds create unwanted history

By Matt Fotia 

Back-to-back defeats at the hands on the New Zealand Silver Ferns have muddied the waters on the Origin Diamonds quest to retain the Constellation Cup. 

The Diamonds 63-52 loss to the Silver Ferns made it eight straight losses on New Zealand soil, while the 11-goal margin meant the Silver Ferns managed consecutive 10 goal plus victories against the Diamonds for the first time. 

Speaking after the defeat, Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich refused to accept the simplistic view that the venue alone was to explain for her side’s poor performance. 

“There is definitely an atmosphere that comes with it, but a lot of the international games I’ve been a part of we’ve played overseas for a lot of them, so it isn’t like we are unfamiliar with playing in new territory,” Marinkovich said. 

“We’ve got to work out why we’re not attacking the game as much when we’re here, but full credit to New Zealand, they’ve really brought the energy, they’re moving the ball well and they’ve got some really good structures which are getting them good results.” 

New Zealand dominated the ball on Wednesday night, finishing the game with 56% of the possession to go with their 10 gains and four intercepts. The Diamonds were uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball in hand, conceding 17 turnovers. 

Marinkovich pointed to simple errors in her side’s play. 

“There are things we do well and then there are some things we do that are a bit carefree,” Marinkovich explained. 

“Giving away simple little passes in attack and defensively we’ve got to be able to get our angles right and do the repeated work. 

“We did it in patches and got a couple of good results, but we’ve got to have consistency and presence from the very first whistle. 

“Sometimes we’re trying to rush the play and beat the movement of their defensive structure rather than using the ball and a change of pace to get them more stationary. 

“We gave away too many obstructions and released a lot of pressure throughout the court tonight.” 

For the second game running Marinkovich turned to her bench to try and change the momentum, moving skipper Liz Watson to the bench at quarter time and swapping Sophie Dwyer into goal attack just before half time in place of Kiera Austin. 

Marinkovich was once again impressed with Dwyer, who offered some variety in attack as the Diamonds mentor experimented with her on court combinations.  

“We won the third quarter, so some of our changes have had a positive influence and sometimes you’ve got to test and try, because there is a bigger picture and a bigger lens to this,” Marinkovich stated. 

“Sophie (Dwyer) likes to go for her shots, she’ll go direct to post, and I think she has a different change of movement. That was part of just trying to release some pressure, play a bit deeper and see what we could create. 

“We’ve got two games at home, so we need to see what we want to put out there, what’s working, what’s challenging us most and the only way to understand that is to get players out on the court. 

Star shooter Grace Nweke was once again a thorn in the Diamonds side, finishing with 47 goals in another comprehensive performance.  

Marinkovich said the Diamonds, and other Australian defenders, would need to quickly adapt to the superstar’s style of play, given the breadth of tall shooting talent in both the international and domestic game. 

“There are so many tall and prominent shooters in a lot of international teams, so we get that challenge every time we step out,” Marinkovich explained. 

“It’s not unfamiliar, she (Nweke) is playing very well and they’re certainly letting the ball go, so there is more work we have to do up the court to stop the release coming in so quick.” 

“We’ve got to get our footwork right; we’ve got to get up to it. We’re on the body so our elevation isn’t there. 

“It’s something the players will experience in the SSN next year with pretty much every team having someone of that stature. 

“We’ve got to look at our juniors and get the blend right and teach the skill of being able to do the full court team defence and also get the individual as well.” 

Now 0-2 down in the series, the Diamonds will have to win both home fixtures to force extra time if they are to retain the Constellation Cup. 

Marinkovich said she would not manage player minutes in anticipation of extra time in Melbourne, preferring to focus on a more important challenge. 

“I just want to get to the next game, the first five minutes of the first quarter is where our focus has got to be,” Marinkovich stated. 

“At the end of the day the girls have the physical capability to go the length, but we’ve got to shorten our focus on what’s next.”