Mixed Invitational v NZA

The first quarter of the third and fourth play-off in the Cadbury Series was a fast and furious one.

The Mixed team went into the game with a big out, missing tall shooter Quintin Gerber due to a rib injury sustained in their game against the Silver Ferns.

Still hunting for their first win of the series, the NZA team were able to establish an early lead in the game. They struggled to sustain this however, and through strong defensive pressure the Mixed Invitational team were able to draw level with them, going into the quarter-time break 13-13.

In the second quarter, the NZA team were able to pull away from the Mixed team on the scoreboard. Filda Vui was impressive in goal shoot as she was able to shoot from just about anywhere in the circle. She paired well with Amelairanne Ekenasio, who used her game smarts to enable the lead of their team to grow, resulting in a halftime lead of 25-21. 

In the third quarter, Maddy Gordon and Kelsey Browne led a masterclass in speed and feeding. With Amosa Faitaua-Nanai out in goal attack, the attacking end for the Mixed team was full of speed.

Despite this, NZA defenders Elle Temu and Holly Fowler were able to hunt for intercepts, and at three quarter time, NZA looked one step closer to getting their first win of the series as they led 34-30. 

The fourth and final quarter opened with a flying intercept from Claire Kersten within the first 20-seconds. It was the sort of defensive pressure that caused the Mixed team to struggle to find their rhythm in the shooting end, while NZA had no trouble playing around the Mixed team’s own defensive pressure to claim their first win of the series.

The final score was 48-36 and a win for the NZA team.

Elle Temu was named the Player of the Match. 

Silver Ferns v NZ Men

In the final game of the 2022 Cadbury Series, the NZ Men took on the Silver Ferns.

The Men gave up possession of the ball early in the game although a held ball call moments after allowed for them to score the first goal of the game off the hands of Ben Smith. The men carved out a lead after this and never let up after that. They went into the first break leading by eight goals, 18-10. 

In the second quarter, the Men were able to capitalise on crucial errors in communication from the Silver Ferns, who gave up possession of the ball and allowed the men to convert on the scoreboard.

The Men’s own errors did not prove quite as costly. Eriata Vercoe made an error but within the blink of an eye he had won back possession from the Ferns.

In the defensive circle, the Men were able to showcase some outstanding switches between players to confuse and shut down open space. This lack of space in the circle proved difficult to overcome for the Silver Ferns.

To finish the half, Jay Geldard sunk a long bomb and the men went into the break leading 40-21. 

In the opening of the third quarter, Kelly Jury was able to get tips on the ball but these did not lead to goals for the Silver Ferns. The Silver Ferns lacked discipline when converting their turnovers, which made the game a grind.

The NZ Men forced mistakes from the Silver Ferns while showing composure and discipline themselves to capitalise on the scoreboard.

Although the score was not in their favour, Kelly Jury still played with a fierce intent to win. She fought hard and hunted for the ball, but it was not enough. The Men went into the final term leading 55-34. 

As the fourth quarter got underway, the NZ men showed that they were able to play with speed to burn, while the Silver Ferns found themselves tripped up by the speed of the game.

Having opened up a huge lead, the Men dominated throughout all four quarters, playing with physicality and demonstrating the ability to shut down goal shooters, in this case, Grace Nweke. They also managed to trick the Silver Ferns into throwing cross-court passes that the Men were able to pick up with ease.

The NZ Men recorded their largest win against the Silver Ferns, 67-48, to take out the 2022 Cadbury Series. 

Dan Rich was named Player of the Match.