Disappointing Finish for Australian Fast5 Side
The Australian team has finished their Fast5 Netball World Series campaign with a disappointing 25-point loss to New Zealand in the final on Sunday.
Australia’s team was made up of a mix of experienced and debutant Fast5 players including Western Australian defender Courtney Bruce.
The first quarter of the final saw a tight tussle between the Trans-Tasman rivals, entering the first break at 5-goals a piece.
This balance was short-lived however, as New Zealand broke away in the second quarter with the help of their power play.
New Zealand shooter, Maria Tutaia, was outstanding shooting 27 points out of her sides 41 for the game.
Half time saw Australia trailing by 12-goals, however they still had their power play under their belt.
Unfortunately despite their efforts, Australia were unable to pick up any ground on the New Zealand side, gaining little benefit from their power play in the final quarter.
Australian captain Susan Petit said “Maria was shooting threes in our power play which is why we just had to go for those shots, they’re really not our strength, our strength is twos, so we were put under a lot of pressure. The girls did really well considering the situation, but when our shot’s aren’t nailing and she’s nailing all of those it’s hard.”
The game finished with a score line of 41 to 16.
In order to make their way into the final, Australia had an exceptional run in the round robin games, taking out all of their opposition to complete the perfect undefeated run.
As the gran final was a rematch of their game earlier in the program, New Zealand were looking for revenge.
Australia had previously beaten the New Zealand team by three-points.
With this year’s competition being the first Fast5 Netball World Series held on Australian soil, the competition experienced huge success.
This spectacular showdown of international netball is set to return to Melbourne for the next two years, where Australia will no doubt be looking to claim the trophy for the first time.