Ferns scrappy against Malawi

The Silver Ferns have bounced back from there recent Constellation Cup disapointment with an emphatic victory over the Malawi Queens in Wellington, 70-32 on Sunday night.

The 5th ranked Queens have ventured over to NZ for there first test tour and truth be told are not expected to cause any major upsets against the Ferns, however for the international game it is a step in the right direction, giving some of the lower ranked nations a chance to play a series against the big guns and improve there own game in the process.

Malawi have had a memorable few years and are certainly becoming a force to be reconned with on the international scene. The typical Caribbean style they bring to the court is a crowd favourite and from a domestic point of view, many will be keeping an eye on Malawi GS Mwai Kumwenda who has recently signed with the Canterbury Tactix for next years ANZ Championship season after spending 2 years playing with the Victorian Fury in the Australian domestic league.

Ferns starting lineup

GS - IVD

GA - Brown

WA - Francois

C - Langman

WD - Grant

GD - Selby-Rickit

GK - De Bruin

A close first quarter saw the Ferns edge out to a 4 goal lead, but not after another scrappy start, with Malawi leading 2-0 at the opening. Even against the lesser nations the importance of starting well is not lost and its something I'm sure Wai Taumaunu will be wanting rectified as the series continues.

Jodi Brown was given her first test appearance for 2013 after spending the Constellation Cup series on the bench. The old combination of Brown and IVD took a while to re adjust on court but from a spectator point of view it was easy to forget that this was the starting GA and GS lineup prior to Maria Tutaia joining the team. One of the big talking points during this series will be if Jodi Brown can get the balance right between being an extra feeder into IVD but also take on the goal responsibility. 

A new combination of Katrina Grant outside the goal circle in WD allowed for Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit to make her test debut at GD joining De Bruin in the goal circle. As an unknown quantity at WD, Grant took a bit to adjust to the different style and although the stats probably don't reflect it she did a great job of restricting her WA and combined well with Langman to slow down the Malawi ball into the shooters.

Selby-Rickit had a nervous start to her Ferns career, to be expected but also did manage to attract a bit of whistle from both ends of the court, something that tends to creep into her game during the ANZ Championship and will need to be rectified as she continues in the black dress. 

Shannon Francois continued where she left off in the Constellation Cup series to solidify her name on the WA bib while Lees nurses her injury. Each time she steps out on court her combination with Langman improves and brings an intensity and energetic leads in the attacking end, making it easier for the goalers to work from.

Malawi at times showed signs of why they will be continuing to improve with each time they take the court. The ball skills and movement down court was a pleasure to watch from a spectators point of view, however there match play fitness left them down as the game continues, something that is easily fixed.

Waimarama Taumaunu decided to keep her lineup for the entire match, and would be pleased with the overall performance of the Ferns, of course there are things to work on but it will be a morale boost now that they have a win, after the disappointing series in Australia.

What did you think of the Ferns performance in the first test match?