KEY POINTS:
If time travel was a reality, the Australians would take last night's victory over the Silver Ferns and fast forward it exactly four months - same team, same place - to the world championship final.
The Silver Ferns would be hoping to turn back the clock by four
years.
In the ground-breaking first test at Auckland's Vector Arena, the Australians had the edge over the Ferns in almost every facet of the game, showing the New Zealanders still have work to do on their cohesiveness and understanding through the court.
Australia ran out winners by seven goals, 53-46.
It was a typically nervy start - the Ferns spoiled two Australian centre passes early, but then squandered prized midcourt ball, pressured by the Australian wing defence Selina Gilsenan and centre Natalie von Bertouch.
Ferns goal attack Jodi Te Huna was hesitant to put a shot up, rattled by the Australian defence inside and out of the circle, who had effectively slowed down the New Zealand game.
But the reinvented Irene van Dyk stood her ground in the circle against the tenacious Liz Ellis, and kept the Ferns in touch.
On the loose ball, New Zealand lacked the understanding of the Australians - if a ball went astray, or was 50-50, odds were it would end up in green and gold hands.
It was as if the Ferns still had their heads in the aerial game of the Jamaicans from last week.
The Australians took advantage of two tall Ferns defenders - Casey Williams and Leana de Bruin - and played low, skimmer passes into the athletic Sharelle McMahon, pulling away at the end of the first quarter to lead by seven.
Aitken immediately reshuffled her defence, taking off de Bruin who was struggling for air, and bringing Joline Henry into the fray, then swapping Sheryl Scanlan for Julie Seymour at wing defence.
Initially it had good results for the Ferns, the tried and true Magic combinations through court clicking in and closing the gap to four.
But the Australians were somehow able to take the pace up another notch, with Ellis coming into her own and snaffling ball destined for van Dyk.
Too often Australian goal shoot Catherine Cox was left alone - a dangerous move with her brilliant conversion rate, 22 from 23 for the first half.
Down 31-23 at halftime, Aitken reverted to a more conventional line-up - putting new centre Laura Langman back to her traditional wing defence, and slotting the veteran Seymour into the middle.
Maria Tutaia replaced Te Huna in the shooting circle, and straight away potted one of her trademark long swoosh shots.
Fortune started to go the Ferns' way.
Henry stole the ball from McMahon's hands, big passes finally found their way to van Dyk, and again the margin was whittled to four. But the pattern continued - a couple of missed shots by New Zealand, and in a blink it was back out to nine at the third quarter whistle.
Australian coach Norma Plummer stuck to her starting seven at every quarter, finding no need to change when her players seemed to have the edge in all zones of court.
Henry continued to make inroads into the Australian attack with her close-to-the-ground defence, backed up by the gutsy Seymour.
But further up court, Gilsenan had the measure of Ferns captain Adine Wilson, who was forced to put speculative ball into her shooters.
Van Dyk could hardly be faulted for her efforts, working outside the circle to keep possession.
But last night the shooting star was New Zealand-born Cox, who lost her touch only in the closing moments ending the game with 33 from 39.
The next two tests are in Australia - in Melbourne on Saturday and in Adelaide on Tuesday.
New Zealand, the reigning world champions, will host the world tournament in Auckland in November.
