The New Zealand Men’s team have England in their sights as they aim to make history with a spot in the FAST5 final in Christchurch.
In a first for the FAST5 World Netball Series, three men’s teams have been on court at Christchurch Arena with Australia netting two wins, including a hard-fought 31-24 win over New Zealand on Saturday, to earn a place in Sunday’s final.
New Zealand captain Nick Grimmer said his side was already looking forward to getting back on court in front of a parochial home crowd following the electric atmosphere in Saturday’s trans-Tasman clash.
“How epic is it? The crowd is behind us, it’s exciting and that’s exactly why we’re here. It’s fast, it’s physical and it’s fun – I hope the crowd loved it because we loved being out there,” he said.
FAST5 netball was proving the perfect format to showcase the aerial and athletic play of the men’s game and Grimmer was excited with a number of a young New Zealand players they have introduced to the game this weekend, he said.
“This is the future out there, be excited because it’s going to be bright. This is the gateway to what’s coming ahead for men’s netball.”
Nothing separated New Zealand and Australia in a tense first quarter tussle, the scores locked 6-6, and it took a late surge from the Australians to edge ahead 13-10 at halftime.
Australian shooter Anton Stechswskyj netted six from seven first half attempts and New Zealand was made to work hard to shut down the speed of the ball through court.
As the intensity in the match increased, so too did the efforts of New Zealand goal keep Timothy Apisai snaffling three gains for his side and urging his team-mates on.
They looked to take a one goal advantage into the final spell before a buzzer beating six pointer from Brodie Roberts gave the Australians a 21-16 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
It was again the pressure from Apisai which helped the Kiwis claw their way back to trail by just two with three minutes to play – his long lean and timing on the jump causing plenty of problems.
There was plenty of passion shown from both sides in a frenetic pace as New Zealand pulled within one point in the fourth quarter before two key power point plays from Australia gave them the seven-point buffer.
Australia had earlier brought the crowd to its feet with its pre-game dance moves in their tournament opener against England, and they were just as polished with their play on court for a 29-20 victory.
Their speed, aerial flair and accuracy in the shooting circle were a step above their English counterparts – experience helping the Australians to an early 6-2 lead.
England shooter Luke Owen kept his side in the game at the main break, sinking an impressive six points in the power play to bring them within four points before Australia dominated the third spell for a match-winning edge.
England captain Jamal Nicholson said the opportunity to play in the FAST5 tournament was an opportunity they’d never forget, and they had expected a tough encounter against Australia.
“It was very fast, challenging and physical which is what we knew we’d get from the Australians but at the same time it was really fun,” he said.
“This is the dream for any netballer to play on a stage like this. This is what we want to do, play the best in the world – it’s just a dream come true.”
He said men’s netball in England was continuing to grow but they needed to work on recruiting players, and he hoped with the sport falling into the international spotlight at FAST5, they could do so.
“We hope this invites more men to come down to training, find a team and get involved. We can only grow stronger from this point.”
New Zealand will meet England at 2.15pm on Sunday to determine which side takes on Australia in the men’s final.