NZ lacked the fire and determination that was required to be truly competitive against such a dominant Australian side on Thursday night, especially for the final of the World Youth Netball Championships.
The fine performances NZ displayed in earlier matches seemed spent when they were tested by their traditional arch-rivals.  They started flat and spent the rest of the game trying to play catch-up. It was never going to happen when the Australians were in such top form.
Australia came out with all guns firing in the first quarter and NZ seemed to lose their focus. Australia took full advantage of the open spaces and easily intercepted passes to sweep their score to a 16 goal difference which NZ was never able to claw back. Australia’s Caitlin Bassett took full advantage of her height to gain possession and pot the shots.
During the second quarter, New Zealand regained some ground with more focused deliveries. The third quarter saw them display some of the flair of their earlier games and the ball flowed more easily for them. However, the Australians were hungrier for the win and applied more pressure in the final quarter.
It was a disappointing result for NZ. They didn’t contend equally against the height, speed and attacking power of this fired-up Australian team. Australia deserved the score of 64-46 and the championship win.