THE 2021 Taini Jamison Trophy has been won and done, with the England Roses taking out the Cadbury Netball Series against New Zealand last week. This week, we turn to our Team of the Series, with the top players from both nations squeezed into one 10-player squad. With England claiming wins in two of the three matches and requiring significantly less changes due to injury, it is safe to say the Roses earned the majority of Team of the Series starting positions purely due to greater consistency in their lineup.

>>2021 Cadbury Netball Series – NZ/ENG: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Stats wrap

NZ SILVER FERNS X ENGLAND ROSES TEAM OF THE SERIES

GS: George Fisher
GA: Sophie Drakeford-Lewis
WA: Shannon Saunders
C: Serena Guthrie
WD: Sam Winders
GD: Layla Guscoth
GK: Kelly Jury

BENCH: Geva Mentor, Laura Malcolm, Tiana Metuarau

It is an all-England goaling end to start off, with George Fisher and Sophie Drakeford-Lewis earning the starting bibs credit to their impressive form and ability to take control of the contest. Fisher starred in the second match, putting up 45 goals from 47 attempts, while Drakeford-Lewis had some impressive moments across the series with her playmaking and accuracy on show. The duo combined seamlessly despite little preparation together, and despite neither playing the full 60 minutes together at any stage due to constant rotations, they did enough individually to continuously keep their defensive opposition on edge.

Shannon Saunders earns the wing attack bib for her consistency with ball in hand, often coming on as an impact player and easing into the game with her cleanliness and smarts on full show. While not the most flashy attacker in the mix, Saunders has the uncanny ability to spot her attackers inside the circle and fire the ball straight in, using her vision to find the perfect positioning and adjust accordingly. The midcourt group is book-ended by another Fern in Sam Winders, who also somewhat shared her wing defence role throughout but was remarkably consistent despite that. Winders is a real go-getter, and kept with her opposition every step of the way to nullify their influence and deny them the space to control the place. The two New Zealanders bracket centre Serena Guthrie, with the Roses captain a constant through the position and a massive leader across both attack and defence. Guthrie’s ability to find the loose ball is second to none, with her speed, aerial ability and vision coming into full effect across the series and her third match in particular proving how pivotal she and her ball-winning ways are to the Roses’ success.

It was tough to decide on a defensive end, with the defenders from both nations playing a massive role in how the tests played out. Despite spending time on the bench it was hard to deny Layla Guscoth‘s impact, with the England defender in ominous form and not shying away from any contests. Guscoth’s competitiveness saw her fly for every ball that came her way, forcing errors from the Ferns as they looked to work around her influence, and was rarely far from the ball carrier such was her intent. The goal keeper bib goes to a newbie in Kelly Jury, with the towering goal keeper proving hard to stop when she got going. Jury’s newfound versatility was pivotal, tracking her opposition with ease up the court where required and using her extra centimetres and wingspan to wreak havoc on the Roses feeds into the goal circle.

While debutant Tiana Metuarau only played just over a game and a half before succumbing to injury during the second test, the young goal attack deserves a bench position for her exceptional debut. She did not look out of place on the court and did not skip a beat whether it be in the goal circle or playmaking around the goal third, using her evasiveness, dynamic movement and smarts to wreak havoc on the England defenders, especially in the first match. Roses midcourter Laura Malcolm may not be a born and bred wing attack but was nothing if not consistent throughout the three matches, using her defensive nous to anticipate when the ball would be turned over and transitioning down court to attack with speed. Geva Mentor earns the defensive bench position, with the veteran coming alive in the red dress and using her experience and know-how to be a constant threat in the goal circle.