New Zealand netball coach Noeline Taurua has launched an extraordinary spray at Singaporean referee Joan Yuliani after the Australian Diamonds retained the Constellation Cup with a 53-46 win in Perth.
Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua wasn't happy with the officiating of one particular umpire during the Consellation Cup series decider in Perth. Photo: Photography
The Diamonds blitzed the Silver Ferns with a 16-7 opening-quarter onslaught, and led by as many as 16 goals during the second term as their suffocating pressure proved too much to handle.
But with star shooter Maria Folau nailing almost everything that came her way, the Silver Ferns reduced the margin to seven goals in the third quarter, and then just four goals with seven minutes remaining.
The Diamonds kept their cool at the death to secure the win and level the series at 2-2, claiming the Constellation Cup on superior goal percentage.
But it was the quality of refereeing that was a big talking point after the match, with Taurua furious at Yuliani's performance.
New Zealand are renowned for their on-court discipline, often committing 25 percent less fouls than Australia whenever the arch rivals meet.
But Sunday's match told a different statistical tale, with New Zealand called for 66 penalties to Australia's 63.
Taurua believes many of those calls were wrong, and even went to the trouble of analysing the foul count from the past five matches between the two sides to prove her point.
She said the fact that Yuliani was handed the refereeing gig in the fourth Test despite not officiating in any of the previous three matches of the series was a huge mistake.
"We have somebody that comes in from Singapore - where are they ranked? - and blows it (the interpretations of the rules) out of the window," Taurua said.
"I thought the Diamonds were confused (as well) to some respect.
"One minute it's a two-second held ball, next minute it's a four-minute held ball, next minute there's nothing, there's no call at all.
"That really disturbs me, because we are not a 60-penalty team. We want to put something out there that's really competitive.
"But yet the decisions that are made behind the scenes in regards to that quality is unacceptable. For that I'm really disappointed."
Sunday's match was Maria Folau's 150th Test for New Zealand. Photo: Photosport Ltd 2019
Taurua made a special point to praise the Diamonds, declaring them the better team on the day.
But she said the issue of referee quality needed to be addressed, and she's vowed to put in a formal complaint.
Star Diamonds goal shooter Caitlin Bassett nailed 25 of her 28 goal attempts to ensure she celebrated her 100-game milestone with a win in front of 13,233 fans - a new netball record crowd for Perth.
The win was also the perfect send-off for retiring shooter Caitlin Thwaites, who replaced Bassett in the third quarter to finish with six goals.
"Definitely the pressure's off," Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander said after the match.
"I just had the feeling they weren't going to let it slip. We practised all week. They just dug in and they dug really deep, and they did a fantastic job."
Penalty counts during the Consetllation Cup
Test 1: Australia 62, NZ 40
Test 2: Australia 57, NZ 47
Test 3: Australia 53, NZ 40
Test 4: Australia 63, NZ 66.
-AAP
