New signing Grace Nweke gave NSW Swifts fans a tantalising taste of what they can expect from her next year after she put in a dominant 50-goal display in New Zealand's opening Constellation Cup win over Australia last night.
The goal shooter, who will join the Swifts for the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball campaign, was the standout performer in a dominant display by the Silver Ferns who also have NSW head coach Briony Akle in their coaching team.
A heaving home crowd in Wellington set the tone for a 64-50 win in a contest that was controlled by the hosts from the second quarter onwards.
Chock full of physicality and hard-fought battles across the court, the momentum switched back and forth throughout the first quarter with neither side able to tip the scales their way.
Courtney Bruce’s return was marked early with two big grabs earning the Diamonds a two-goal buffer, but a strong finish from the Ferns gave them the upper hand at the end of the first term.
The high-pressure energy out on court multiplied in the second, as the Ferns continued to capitalise on missed opportunities from the Diamonds.
Maddy Gordon and Kimiora Poi’s connection was immense, and while Swifts co-captain Paige Hadley and 50-gamer Jamie-Lee Price piled on the pressure they could not wrestle ball away from the Ferns in attack.
With a nine-goal buffer at half time, there was lots of work to do after the main change.
Sophie Dwyer and Kate Moloney were injected to begin the second half, with Dwyer in particular having an enormous start alongside Cara Koenen.
The pressure cooker intensified throughout the second half, with the Diamonds forced to use their full bench as the challenges kept on coming.
With a seven-goal margin at three quarter time, the final 15 minutes were feisty and saw the true highs and lows in action.
Despite reducing the margin to five goals during the early stages of the fourth term, the Silver Ferns built off their home crowd’s volume to run away with a 14-goal win.
The Diamonds will look to regroup ahead of Test Two in Auckland on Wednesday evening.
