The Silver Ferns have fumbled their way to a heavy defeat at the hands of a slick New Zealand Men's side in the Netball quad series in Palmerston North.
The 60-47 loss was hampered by several turnovers and a poor overall shooting percentage, as coach Dame Noeline Taurua cleared the bench, testing out combinations ahead of the upcoming series against England.
Towering shooter Junior Levi was the star for the men, landing 91 percent from under the hoop, while also accounting for more than half of the men's 14 rebounds.
The men led by seven after the first quarter, but the Ferns had an excellent second frame, with Taurua opting with arguably her strongest lineup, with the men taking a 35-30 lead into the break.
Teenage shooter Grace Nweke played the second and fourth quarters to mixed results, but Taurua will be impressed by her combative performance where she gave as good as she got.
Ferns captian Ameliaranne Ekenasio was the most impressive of the front court, landing 12 of her 14 attempts, but she credited the opposition for their style of play.
"We are disappointed; we got momentum in that second quarter but fell away at the end. They're an incredible team," she said post match.
"We know this is the best game we can get to prepare for any international match, so I'm proud of all the girls but we still have a long way to go."
The men ran away with the match in the final two quarters as Taurua mixed and matched her on court combinations.
The Ferns play the Under 21s tomorrow night, while the men play NZ A before Saturday's final.
