New Zealand 53
Australia 50
The Silver Ferns' narrow win over a depleted Australian line-up in yesterday's opening test in Sydney makes it difficult to judge just who should take more confidence from the match.
The win will give the New Zealanders a huge boost, given their recent record over the Diamonds has been poor
and having lost seven of their last 10 matches before yesterday.
But the Australians, who faced numerous setbacks in their build-up, will take heart for the remaining four tests that they came close to winning. With key players returning to defence and midcourt, the Diamonds will only get more competitive as the series progresses.
But Ferns coach Ruth Aitken believes there is still plenty of room for growth in her side. "We need to ensure that this is just a starting platform and I do believe that there is a lot more development that we can be doing too."
The New Zealand coach said her side made life tough on themselves at times, particularly in the closing minutes of the match, when they let a five-goal lead slip to one, giving Australia a sniff at a come-from-behind victory.
"I thought we needed to be able to completely shut them out at that point in time. We had a couple of errors and, by crikey, they sneak back in there quite quickly, so we can't afford to let that happen."
Much like last year's opening test, the match lacked a certain intensity that has come to be expected in transtasman battles.
Both sides' turnover tally topped 30, as they struggled to find speed and fluency on attack. Some brilliant midcourt defence from Australia prevented the Ferns from bringing the ball through the court with the pace and length they would have liked.
But the attacking play from midcourters Temepara George and Liana Barrett-Chase around the circle edge and service into the shooters was a marked improvement from their outings against the World Seven.
Australia likewise lacked pace on attack and didn't seem to play with the same intensity on defence.
But Diamonds coach Norma Plummer was pleased with the improvement her side showed after a disjointed performance in their 52-43 loss to the World Seven during the week.
"I was just delighted with the troops, they really knuckled down and worked it to find the space, and they certainly didn't back down on anything."
Australia's shooting wobbles from their mid-week test appeared to follow them in yesterday's match, with the home side missing their first four shots at goal.
The lack of finish from the Diamonds early on saw New Zealand take a 5-0 lead after four minutes.
But the Ferns' dominance was shortlived as, once Sharelle McMahon and Catherine Cox settled in to the game, Australia quickly pegged the lead back, thanks in large part to some brilliant defensive work from Kimberlee Green and Renae Hallinan, who snaffled a lot of ball in the midcourt.
With Catherine Cox shooting at just 61 per cent, Plummer opted for a change to her shooting end at halftime, bringing on Susan Pratley at goal attack and pushing McMahon back to goal shoot.
The slick and more mobile shooting end in the second half troubled the New Zealand defence more, with Joline Henry and Williams beaten for pace on a number of occasions. The pair still did well to have a strong presence over the shot, and gobble up any rebounds to ensure the Ferns enough possession to grind out the win.
