Maybe all the Silver Ferns needed was their eighth player.
A passionate sold-out Invercargill crowd roared to bring the Silver Ferns home 61-56 against the England Roses on Sunday night.
While the Roses had already won the series, it was a much improved performance from the Silver Ferns.
They led at every break and stuck with the same starting seven from the opening whistle.
Claire O’Brien made a difference at wing attack adding a level of maturity.
She was patient, worked off Waikato-Bay of Plenty team-mate Ameliaranne Ekenasio and let the ball do the work.
The Silver Ferns struggled for depth on their second phase and clogged the same channel.
The Roses pushed them wide, or suffocated through the middle, and the Silver Ferns played into that.
But once the Silver Ferns sorted their timing, they were away.
Centre Maddy Gordon picked the pocket to start a four-goal run for the Silver Ferns.
But the Roses made a late push to trail 18-16 at the end of the first quarter.
Compared to the first two tests, the Silver Ferns were more decisive with ball in hand.
They worked the ball around through the midcourt to combat the Roses’ zone and wing defence Karin Burger did a mountain of work to bring the ball through.
She was part of a tight defensive trio with Parris Mason and Kelly Jackson in the circle.
Mason was never afraid to go for a fly and hunt the ball as she grew in confidence in the black dress.
It was a game of ebbs and flows, with the Roses going on runs through the middle and the Silver Ferns finishing strong.
O’Brien collided with Roses centre Imogen Allison, which saw Allison leave the court.
Ellie Rattu moved into the middle and experienced Beth Cobden entered at wing defence, which helped tighten the Roses defence.
Grace Nweke was her usual stoic self at the back, taking the ball under pressure and physicality for the Silver Ferns to lead 32-28 at halftime.
The Silver Ferns tempered the pace at the start of the third, giving the long ball to Nweke and also working it to circle edge.
Roses shooter Liv Tchine continued to keep the Roses ticking over but Jackson continued to be a nuisance. She forced the Roses to spill the ball over the base and the Silver Ferns treasured possession to give themselves a six-point lead.
But silly mistakes from the Silver Ferns let the Roses creep back.
Allison came back on at centre and made a difference with her give-and-goes and punched through the court.
The Silver Ferns held a 47-46 lead. They will have been disappointed to let the Roses back in.
But instead of falling off, the Silver Ferns were controlled and shifted the momentum in their favour to lead 54-48.
That forced the Roses to ring in some changes with Housby back to goal shoot. But Jackson blocked her shot and the Silver Ferns went up by eight.
The Silver Ferns head into the Constellation Cup series against the Australian Diamonds later this month.
