England Suffers Slump in Thrilling Netball Match Against New Zealand Despite Impressive Defence
The Vitality Roses' debutant Jaz Brown stole the show alongside captain Funmi Fadoju in London's Copper Box Arena, but ultimately couldn't save England from a crushing 61-58 defeat to New Zealand.
Jess Thirlby, who celebrated his birthday in an otherwise disappointing day for English netball, took responsibility for the team's sloppy mistakes. "We expected it to be hard and then we didn't finish quarters off, it was just moments," he admitted. "So I think tomorrow we don't have to overreact...it stings, but the margins are tiny and it was moments where we just need to smarten up and take some responsibility for the sloppy things."
Despite being outplayed in terms of centre pass success and goal conversion rates, England's defence was undoubtedly impressive. However, their inability to capitalise on opportunities and avoid costly mistakes ultimately cost them the game.
The Silver Ferns' Grace Nweke proved an unstoppable force against Fadoju, who despite her height disadvantage, showed remarkable aerial ability and intercepted multiple attacks from New Zealand. Debutant goalkeeper Jaz Brown also impressed throughout the match alongside Fadoju, but unfortunately couldn't prevent England's demise.
England will have to regroup and reassess their strategy for tomorrow's second game of the series, live on Sky Sports Mix at 3pm, as they look to bounce back from a crushing defeat.
The Vitality Roses' debutant Jaz Brown stole the show alongside captain Funmi Fadoju in London's Copper Box Arena, but ultimately couldn't save England from a crushing 61-58 defeat to New Zealand.
Jess Thirlby, who celebrated his birthday in an otherwise disappointing day for English netball, took responsibility for the team's sloppy mistakes. "We expected it to be hard and then we didn't finish quarters off, it was just moments," he admitted. "So I think tomorrow we don't have to overreact...it stings, but the margins are tiny and it was moments where we just need to smarten up and take some responsibility for the sloppy things."
Despite being outplayed in terms of centre pass success and goal conversion rates, England's defence was undoubtedly impressive. However, their inability to capitalise on opportunities and avoid costly mistakes ultimately cost them the game.
The Silver Ferns' Grace Nweke proved an unstoppable force against Fadoju, who despite her height disadvantage, showed remarkable aerial ability and intercepted multiple attacks from New Zealand. Debutant goalkeeper Jaz Brown also impressed throughout the match alongside Fadoju, but unfortunately couldn't prevent England's demise.
England will have to regroup and reassess their strategy for tomorrow's second game of the series, live on Sky Sports Mix at 3pm, as they look to bounce back from a crushing defeat.
and I gotta say, England's defense was SO impressive! I mean, Funmi Fadoju is a legend 
, she's like the netball version of David Beckham or something 
. And Jaz Brown, oh man, what a debut! She's got skills for days 
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. You can't just blame the other team and expect to win, you gotta own up to your own mistakes 
. And yeah, I felt so bad for England when they lost... but at least they're not out of this series yet 
. Bring on game 2! 
! i feel bad for those english players, like they really gave it their all but just couldn't quite catch up. jaz brown and funmi fadoju were on fire tho 
gotta love their determination and sportsmanship even after that tough loss 
. Thirlby's comments are pretty on point though - you can't win games by expecting them to be hard and then getting discouraged when things don't go your way 
. The defence was fire 
. And those goalies... Jaz Brown is def a gem 
I mean, what a difference a few inches can make - Funmi Fadoju vs Grace Nweke, it's like apples and oranges, right? But seriously, Fadoju was on fire! 
I love the energy she brought to that court.
They had some great defensive plays, but you can't just rely on defense all game long. You gotta be able to convert those chances and avoid silly mistakes... Jess Thirlby got that, I'll give him that 
. Still, what a way for England's Vitality Roses to kick off this series - not exactly how they wanted to 
England's defense was insane, I mean, they were getting slammed and then just shutting it down 
funmi fadoju is a beast though, she's got that height advantage going for her 
and jaz brown is looking like a total pro out there 
gotta see what they do in the next game to bounce back from this crushing defeat 
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Maybe they just need to regroup and focus on one game at a time? 
England's defence was looking solid, but those mistakes cost them the game... gotta learn from their errors 
! jaz brown & funmi fadoju were on fire tho! 
they put up such an impressive defence but just couldn't finish off those chances 
hopefully england can regroup and come back strong for the next match 
and Jaz Brown's debut wasn't bad at all , but gotta wonder what could've been if they had just closed out those quarters 