Silver Ferns march into Commonwealth Games semis, to face England

The Silver Ferns have demolished Trinidad & Tobago 83-23 in Glasgow and march into the Commonwealth Games semi-finals unbeaten. 

Trinidad & Tobago were hopelessly outclassed. New Zealand shot out to a 12-0 lead in seven minutes, and finished with their highest-ever score against the minnows. 

The Ferns finish top of Pool B with five wins on the trot, following previous victories over Scotland, Jamaica, Uganda and Wales. 

In the semi-finals, the Ferns will face England (midnight Sunday) who edged South Africa 58-54 in the final Pool A contest, with Australia to battle Jamaica on the other side of the draw. 

Grace Nweke featured in the third and fourth quarters after being rested against Wales, shooting 34/36. Photo / Photosport 

The Ferns are still reeling from what looks to be a tournament-ending knee injury to Catherine Hall, suffered in the final quarter of yesterday’s win over Wales. 

On Sky Sport, coach Dame Noeline Taurua gave a pre-match update on Hall. 

“She’s going in for MRI scans today so we’re fortunate we’ve been able to get to a doctor. We’ll see how that looks when we get back.” 

In brighter news, there is hope Georgia Heffernan will be available for the semi-finals after suffering an ankle injury early in the second quarter of the Wales win. The first-choice goal attack was rested from the Trinidad & Tobago contest. 

The Silver Ferns are waiting on the results of an MRI scan after Catherine Hall suffered a knee injury against Wales. Photo / Getty 

It meant New Zealand had only 10 players, but it mattered little. Kelly Jackson dominated with seven intercepts and three deflections, while Carys Stythe and Kate Heffernan had four intercepts each. 

Grace Nweke shot 34/36 across two quarters, Amelia Walmsley slotted 34/38, and Martina Salmon drilled 15/16. 

In the midcourt, Maddy Gordon had 27 goal assists and Kimiora Poi 21. 

Silver Ferns vice captain Kate Heffernan said she is proud of their efforts. 

“We had a lot of finer details we wanted to tidy up on, and I thought we did that really well. We set ourselves little challenges each quarter, and we did really well to meet them. 

“We wanted to be really disciplined on any ball we had, especially our centre pass attack. Sometimes, during the last few games, we’ve dropped off a couple quarters, and we need to find that consistency leading into finals.” 

Walmsley started in goal shoot for the first time with Salmon at goal attack, while Stythe partnered Jackson in the defensive circle. 

The gulf in class between the two sides was evident from the first centre pass. Jackson, Gordon and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan picked off five consecutive intercepts on their defensive transverse line for a 12-0 Ferns lead. 

It took Trinidad & Tobago almost eight minutes to enter the New Zealand circle and score their first goal. The minnows were at times able to exert pressure on the Ferns’ shooting circle and force turnovers, but lazy passes let them down on attack. 

Silver Ferns defender Carys Stythe is set for extra minutes following Catherine Hall's injury. Photo / Photosport 

New Zealand again excelled defensively, with the only question mark hanging over their feeds into the circle. At times, the Kiwis opted for loopy, 50/50 passes, which were contested and often deflected by their opposition. 

Still, the Ferns bullied their way to a 21-4 lead by quarter time. 

They got straight into their second-quarter work with two quick goals, looking to go to post immediately. The Ferns gave away two breaking penalties on their centre pass but won the ball straight back both times. 

The disparity in fitness between the sides started to show midway through the second stanza, with New Zealand ruthless in transition. Their speed up the court sometimes gave them a two-on-one in the circle after winning a turnover. 

However, Trinidad & Tobago were markedly improved from their opening efforts, making more frequent entries into the Ferns’ circle as they grew in confidence. 

Walmsley and Salmon sometimes missed their first attempts at goal, but with a clear height advantage, could gather the rebounds without trouble. They put up 20 second-quarter goals to the Caribbean side’s nine for a 41-13 halftime lead. 

Nweke entered the contest at goal shoot for the third quarter after being rested against Wales, shifting Walmsley to goal attack. Skipper Karin Burger also swapped in for Stythe at goal defence. Poi took a rest from wing attack, bringing Gordon back into the midcourt alongside Heffernan and Reuelu-Buchanan. 

Trinidad & Tobago maintained their man-on-man defensive pressure, forcing a held ball out of Gordon. However, they failed to look after possession, and New Zealand punished them. 

Amelia Walmsley played the full match, starting at goal shoot before transitioning to goal attack. Photo / Photosport 

With Nweke getting settled at goal shoot and the Trinidad & Tobago defence tiring, the Ferns’ pace increased. They sometimes needed only two passes to find the 24-year-old under the hoop. 

The minnows finished with a highlight, as goal attack Joelisa Cooper slotted her first goal almost from the edge of the circle and produced a stunning grin. However, the Ferns steamrolled the third quarter 23-5 to take a 64-18 lead. 

Both Nweke and Walmsley, who both predominantly play goal shoot, came out of the circle at different times to link with the midcourt. It meant the other could drive to the post, and could be an option in the finals when teams will look to swarm Nweke. 

New Zealand polished off the fourth quarter 19-5 and will enjoy a day off to prepare for the semi-final. 

The success comes against the backdrop of continued turmoil for the ANZ Premiership, with Netball New Zealand yet to confirm a domestic competition for next year. 

Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.