IN an action packed Nations Cup, title holders New Zealand dominated the Team of the Series with four players making the side credit to their impressive display. Boasting a less experienced side, England struggled to have their usual impact while South Africa underperformed considering their stacked line-up.

GS: Jhaniele Fowler (Jamaica)
Fowler was a key cog in the attack end for the Sunshine Girls with the goal shooter shouldering the load in the goal circle. The 198cm tall goaler was accurate to post and put up a wealth of shots throughout the tournament making her the standout shooter of the series. Her movement was solid using her height and body positioning to claim prime positioning and reel the ball in.

GA: Ameliaranne Ekenasio (New Zealand)
If it was not already possible, Ekenasio lifted to a whole new level throughout the Nations Cup with the newly appointed captain running amok on the court. The goal attack went from strength to strength able to use her change of pace and impressive timing to full advantage. She was a real playmaker in the attacking half, setting up strong screens and sensing the moment when to release the ball into the circle or fling it around the circle edge. She oozed patience and netball smarts while also showcasing her accuracy to post to back herself from range and deliver without hesitation. Her movement was second to none opening up the goal circle and using the baseline to draw the defender.

WA: Natalie Haythornthwaite (England)
The Roses midcourter was on fire throughout the Nations Cup using her clever ball placement and speed to full advantage. The wing attack led the charge in the attacking third showcasing her deft touch to deliver well-weighted passes into the goalers and open space across the court with her well-timed drives. Her hustle at the top of the goal circle was a key feature of her game, consistently using her footwork to edge her way around the circle and feed the ball in. Haythornthwaite displayed her impressive vision to sight players under the post and oozed confidence.

C: Jade Clarke (England)
The veteran centre was one of the most consistent players across all four games using her experience and endurance to full effect. Her work both offensively and defensively was solid running both ways to create opportunities across the court. Clarke was not afraid to put her body on the line, throwing herself into every contest and plying her trade around the circle edge.

WD: Karin Burger (New Zealand)
The Silver Ferns defender continued to make a name for herself winning the ball back time and time again thanks to her lanky arms. Burger built into each match using her impressive footwork to get around the body of her opponent and pick up timely tips or intercepts. She was a real ball magnet gobbling up any errant pass that came her way pair that with her ability to read the play and was near-on unstoppable in the defensive third. Burger worked well to clog up the space and block the vision of her opposing midcourter with her long reach.

GD: Karla Pretorius (South Africa)
Although Pretorius was not up to her usual lofty standards the South African goal defence did enough to star in a struggling side. Her dominant presence worried opposition attack ends with her willingness to hunt the ball and ability to stay in play. She is a real game changer thanks to her read of the play and intercepting abilities.

GK: Jane Watson (New Zealand)
It is hard to go past the performance of Silver Ferns goal keeper Jane Watson who dominated throughout the series. The talented defender did not skip a beat and while she did not feature highly on the stats board it was her work off the ball that stood head and shoulders above the rest. Watson applied a wealth of pressure in the backend of the court using her quick feet to cover the court with ease and getting hands to ball to stop any easy access into the circle. Her pressure over the shot was impressive throughout, placing doubt in the goalers minds and getting up high to collect tips and intercepts.

BENCH: Maia Wilson (New Zealand), Bongi Msomi (South Africa), Shamera Sterling (Jamaica)
Although it was a relatively disappointing series for South Africa, captain Bongi Msomi led the way in the attacking third. Msomi lit up the court with her speed and dynamic footwork to feed the ball into the goalers and create scoring opportunities. The Spar Proteas speedster was reliable and offered plenty of variety in each of her matches. Up the other end, Jamaican defender Shamera Sterling had a blinder of series using her light frame to read the flight of the ball and pick off passes while also bodying up opponents when need be. Although she gave away a lot of penalties, Sterling made up for her ill-discipline with her attacking mindset to repel the ball down the court and limit any easy avenue into goal. Maia Wilson stood tall in the goal circle using her height and clever body positioning to get around the defenders and continuously deliver.

Picture credit: Michael Bradley