New Zealand's Jane Watson in action during the Netball Quad Series netball match netball match. Photo: Photosport
The Silver Ferns defenders have a huge task when they meet Australia in the Constellation Cup but a veteran defender says they've been given the licence to play their natural game.
The four-Test series starts tonight in Melbourne, with Australia the current holders of the Cup and defending world champions.
With the international retirement of Steph Wood, there will be a slightly different dynamic to the formidable Australian shooting end.
Sophie Dwyer has been added to the World Cup trio of Cara Koenen, Kiera Austin, and Sophie Garbin, who burnt the New Zealand defenders at times during last year's Constellation Cup.
Vice captain Phoenix Karaka said ball retention was always crucial but the Silver Ferns defenders also need to win more ball.
"The Australians are very secure with getting the ball into their shooters so we've just got to be a bit more creative in what we do and adapt quickly to what their attacking structures are," Karaka said.
The Australian shooters were known for their speed so Karaka said the key message from Dame Noeline was "don't try and keep up with them".
"Defensively Kiwis are known for their deception and opening space and closing it and I think at times we're going away from that but at our last camp we've definitely tried to bring that back in."
Phoenix Karaka of New Zealand during the Constellation Cup netball match between the New Zealand Silver Ferns and the Australian Diamonds at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre on the Gold Coast, Sunday, October 23, 2022. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt/ www.photosport.nz Photo: AAP / www.photosport.nz
Karaka said the New Zealand defenders were very instinctive so they needed to back themselves to get ball even if it meant going away from the structure.
"So I think there's been that licence to just kind of play and I think that's the exciting thing about the camp we had going into Constellation Cup.
"I think as a group we've been very fixated on trying to get the structure right and sticking to what the structure is meant to look like instead of going between the two.
"We've got to go out there and prove that we are capable of making our own decisions at the end of the day."
Karaka said potential debutant Kate Burley brought something different to the defensive unit.
"She's asks a lot of questions which is really nice because it keeps us on our toes defensively.
"I can't wait to see her out there I just think she brings something different. With Jane [Watson] she's very loud, explosive, she's everywhere, she's got her long arms.
"Kelly [Jury] being very tall she takes up a lot of space and she can get ball that you don't that she can when she's tight on a player.
"Kate is a mix between the both I reckon. She's everywhere but she can also jump, she's very aerial and strong in the air, it will be exiting to see what we have in that defensive end."
Australian shooter Cara Koenen Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Karaka said it was nice to see the ball move down the court to the shooters with more ease during the recent Taini Jamison series against England.
It was a problem that dogged them at the World Cup and Karaka believed they were coming to terms with the physical effort needed to deliver the ball where their shooters needed it.
"We've had the luxury of having someone like Maria Folau in the past, who you could give the ball to straight away in the circle no matter where it was and she would turn and shoot."
Karaka said the midcourt had to move the ball around to get the shooters into a position where they were comfortable to shoot, which took up a lot of energy.
"But I think we're working towards being able to do both and I think our middies had that engine to be able to do both, it's just getting comfortable with being tired and being able to still do the hard work and to grind and I think we're doing that better.
"I think at the World Cup we just weren't at that point where we could physically just keep doing it for 60 minutes especially towards those last few games."
The second test is in Brisbane on Sunday, with games three and four in Invercargill and Auckland.
-RNZ