25 Jul 2015

Sport: Fiji Pearls thankful for thorough preparation

9:41 am on 25 July 2015

Things might not have gone their way against New Zealand but Fiji netball coach Kate Carpenter believes her team will arrive at next month's World Cup the best prepared of any Pearls team in history.

Fiji were thumped 91-31 on Thursday in a one-off test against the second ranked Silver Ferns.

It follows a busy six months where they've hosted New Zealand, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Singapore, won gold at the Pacific Games and spent time touring Australia and New Zealand.

Kate Carpenter those experiences will be of great benefit once the World Cup gets underway.

"Because always the feedback is if only we'd had some warm-up matches so I think it's not only that these ones come so close but it's the variety that we've had way back from January through [to now]. The good thing too about the Pacific Games and now these matches is that it's exactly what we need. Just being together as a group helps too so very excited and looking forward to the challenge and just being amongst the top 16 in the world at the World Cup. Hopefully our form will be really peaking around that time as well".

Fiji will play a match against a Central Zone selection today before returning home ahead of the World Cup.

The Silver Ferns and Fiji Pearls have a team photo following their one-off netball clash in Porirua.

The Silver Ferns and Fiji Pearls have a team photo following their one-off netball clash in Porirua. Photo: PHOTOSPORT