Two years prior it was a similar story, the Black Sticks losing a shootout to the Netherlands in the semifinal of the 2012 London Olympics.
Not this time. They refused to let history and heartbreak repeat.
Read more: Black Sticks make Commonwealth Games final after thrilling shootout
Another 'heart-breaking' fourth
Discus thrower Siositina Hakeai was robbed of a Commonwealth Games bronze in the final round at the athletics field last night.
Hakeai was sitting in third place with a best effort of 57.16 but ended up finishing fourth for the second straight Commonwealth Games after Indian competitor Navjeet Dhillon bettered the Kiwi by just 37 centermetres with her sixth and final effort.
"Finishing fourth on my last round…it's heart-breaking. But there's nothing I can do. I can only come back stronger," Hakeai said.
"I was really happy with the distance considering there was no wind but I know I'm much better than what did today. It's just heart-breaking."
Kiwi runner Brad Mathas finished strong to run a personal best and claim a fifth placing in the 800m final, won by Wycliffe Kinyamal of Kenya. Mathas said it was a stepping stone towards the Tokyo Olympics. He also noted he couldn't wait to eat some food in the athletes' village.
"I love food. I've been looking at the food in the dining hall and I'm going to smash it when I've finished this. They've got these little profiteroles things, I'm going to make a pyramid of those and start eating."
Rabbitohs beat Roosters
South Sydney claimed bragging rights over star-studded NRL arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters, downing them 26-14 at Allianz Stadium.
Beaten by their traditional rivals in four of their past five clashes, the Rabbitohs' big men monstered the Roosters' pack on Thursday night to put themselves in the top eight. Damien Cook was again dangerous out of dummy-half and was easily the Rabbitohs' best.
The NSW State of Origin aspirant busted through the line a number of times for his 142 metres to set the tone for the win.
Thomas Burgess and John Sutton were both powerful - the latter scoring a try - as the Bunnies controlled possession in the first hour and wracked up almost 200 more metres than their rivals.
More success for squash players
Joelle King and Paul Coll advanced to the squash mixed doubles semifinals after a hard fought 11-10, 11-10 win over Indian pair Joshna Chinappa and Harinder Pal Sandhu. They will now face another India duo Saurav Ghosal and Dipika Pallikal Karthik today for a spot in the gold medal match. Coll backed that up with a straight sets win in the men's doubles round of 16 clash with Campbell Grayson to advance to the quarter-finals.
Brumbies forced to make one change
The Brumbies have made one forced change as they head to Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium for a vital match with the Highlanders on Saturday night.
Tom Cusack comes into the starting XV at blindside flanker for Lachlan McCaffrey, who dislocated his left elbow in last week's 45-21 victory over the Queensland Reds.
McCaffrey will miss up to six weeks after an outstanding season so far after returning to Super Rugby this year.
The ACT team has called in club rugby flanker Michael Oakman-Hunt as an injury replacement for McCaffrey, who has been added to the bench after performing well for Tuggeranong Vikings.
More athletes go walkabout
A men's squash pairing from Sierra Leone and a Rwandan para-powerlifting coach are the latest African absentees to go missing from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Hours after Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton warned athletes who breached their visa conditions they'd be tracked down, locked up and deported, Sierra Leone's Ernest Jombla and Yusif Mansaray did not appear for their men's doubles match on Thursday morning.
It means Jombla and Mansaray failed to appear for either of their matches on the Gold Coast after skipping Tuesday's clash with Welsh pair Peter Creed and Joel Makin.
Despite the pair not making their matches, Sierra Leone officials insisted both were still at the village and had merely confused the times of their events.
