Just hours after Dame Noeline Taurua’s reinstatement as head coach, the Silver Ferns have produced a stunning 61-52 upset win over Australia in Hamilton.
The result keeps New Zealand’s Constellation Cup title defence alive. A win in game four in Christchurch on Wednesday will tie the series, forcing an extra time period.
Skipper Karin Burger snatched three intercepts, goal shoot Grace Nweke dominated opposite Courtney Bruce in the circle - shooting 44 from 46 - and the Ferns’ attack through the midcourt was sharp.
Almost every Kiwi player had their best performance of the series, providing welcome relief after heavy losses in Australia.
“It just feels so nice,” Burger told Sky Sport post-match. “We play best when we’re playing for and with each other.
“You could see that in the defensive unit especially. We went back to what we know we do really well - working in a unit and staying nice and tight. It paid off for us.
“We looked really hard this week [at] what it looks like when they do have runs on us, and what our go-tos are.
“Having a crowd backing us this time made a massive difference. But we knew it had to come from inside.
“That’s what I put out, I need to do my own work, give it my best shot and give the energy to those around me. It paid off for all of us, we fed off each others’ energy.”
The Ferns opened the first quarter hissing on defence, with the Diamonds taking almost a minute to find goal shoot Sophie Garbin from the centre pass.
However, basic catch and pass timing errors persisted, with New Zealand goal shoot Grace Nweke struggling for clean ball early.
Goal attack Georgia Heffernan picked up where she left off after a starring cameo in game two, providing a mostly reliable connection between centre Maddy Gordon and Nweke.
The Ferns’ attack improved from their early jitters. Wing defence Kate Heffernan and goal keep Kelly Jackson effected brilliantly timed deflections. The Ferns capitalised to reel in an early deficit and finish the quarter up 13-12.
New Zealand continued their hot streak in the second quarter, winning two early turnovers and scorching out to a six-goal lead before the Aussies could even find their attacking circle.
The Diamonds looked rattled for the first time this series. One pass sailed out of bounds, and they were uncharacteristically penalised several times for stepping.
Australia picked off a couple of errant Kiwi passes and narrowed the margin to two goals. Amelia Walmsley came into goal attack for Heffernan and was penalised for a held ball, but made up for it moments later through some strong interchange play with Gordon.
Aussie substitute goal attack Sophie Dwyer slotted a buzzer-beating goal to keep the Diamonds just one goal behind, 29-28 at halftime.
The third quarter was New Zealand’s best of the series. Burger picked off three stunning intercepts, and Nweke continued to dominate under the hoop.
With Kimiora Poi at centre and Gordon shifting to wing attack, the Ferns’ offence looked a little more organised.
Kate Heffernan continued her strong form from game two, looping in a couple of eye-catching lobs to Nweke, who looked comfortable besting Diamonds goal keep Courtney Bruce in a one-on-one.
The Ferns obliterated the Diamonds 20-11, for a 49-39 lead heading into the final stanza.
Substitute goal keep Catherine Hall had another eye-catching cameo, picking off an intercept and a couple of deflections.
Walmsley had a stint in goal shoot alongside Martina Salmon to finish, and looked comfortable.
With all the substitutions, the Diamonds edged the final quarter 13-12.
New Zealand 61 (Nweke 44, Walmsley 10, Heffernan 6, Salmon 1)
Australia 52 (Garbin 22, Austin 19, Dwyer 6, Koenen 5)
Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.
Another three-quarter display has seen the Silver Ferns crash to a 68-51 loss to the Australia Diamonds in Sydney and go two-nil down in the Constellation Cup series.
A 21-9 collapse in the third stanza undid a gutsy 15-11 margin in the second.
While the midcourt looked more cohesive than in game one, sloppy passes at either end of the court conceded turnovers, which stifled the Ferns’ efforts to stay in the contest.
The Diamonds heaped defensive pressure on Kiwi shooter Grace Nweke, who looked uncharacteristically rattled while copping a barrage of contact.
Goal attack Georgia Heffernan proved to be the standout substitution for the Ferns, settling the midcourt-attacking circle link and shooting confidently.
Defender Catherine Hall also stood out, but her injection at the end of the third quarter by coach Yvette McCausland-Durie came far too late.
After the match, skipper Karin Burger told Sky Sport it was tough to pinpoint what went wrong in the third quarter.
“They were always gonna come out and give it to us, and we obviously have a bit of work to do. Thought we were learning from that first game; but onwards and upwards.”
Burger acknowledged the external pressure stemming from the standing down of coach Dame Noeline Taurua.
“There’s a lot of noise out there and a lot of pressure on us, but the fact that we can come out here and give it our all, even though it’s not coming off the way we want to.
“Our hearts [are] still in it. We still want to represent the black dress and our country really well. Unfortunate that it blows out like that, but obviously we’ll go back and see what we need to do.”
New Zealand started strongly, keeping pace with the Australians. However, a couple of early errors from Martina Salmon – getting penalised for a held ball and sending a pass out of bounds – hinted at trouble to come.
The connection between centre Maddy Gordon and wing attack Mila Reuelu-Buchanan looked to be much improved from game one. Gordon fed the shooters from the edge of the attacking circle more often, with long-range lob passes more of a feature than a staple.
However, errors and mistiming continued within the shooting circle and the defensive end, with Australian defensive pressure again playing a role.
A poor pass from goal keep Kelly Jackson to wing defence Kate Heffernan scuppered a chance to draw back to within two, but the Diamonds pulled away to end the first quarter leading 19-13.
Georgia Heffernan came into goal attack for Salmon in the second quarter, and looked confident in slotting her first three attempts and providing a more consistent link between goal shoot Nweke and the midcourt.
Nweke looked unusually flustered, at one stage missing twice in a row and falling to the ground as she flung a pass back out of the circle. The 1.92m shooter was taking plenty of contact from Diamonds defenders Courtney Bruce and Sunday Aryang, and looked rattled.
Jackson finally pinched an intercept midway through the second stanza after going close several times. She also combined with Burger for a slick steal late in the second, which saw New Zealand win it 15-11 and make the halftime scoreline 30-28.
Parris Mason joined the series for the first time in the third quarter at goal defence, pushing Burger to wing defence. However, it was a short-lived cameo as she struggled to keep up with the pace of Aussie goal attack substitute Georgie Horjus.
Another wayward pass from Jackson to Mason conceded an early turnover. Diamonds midcourter Jami-Lee Price snatched another after a mistimed pass between Burger and Gordon, and suddenly Australia were back out to a seven-goal lead.
As the errors compounded the Ferns lost all rhythm. Burger struggled to make her presence felt with Horjus running riot. Nweke was fighting to reel in passes under huge pressure and taking shots off balance with mixed results.
The Diamonds dominated the third quarter from start to finish, winning it 21-9 for a 51-37 lead heading into the final stanza.
Hall was finally injected into the game at goal keep for Jackson late in the third, immediately preventing a late Sophie Garbin goal.
That impact continued into the final quarter, with Hall’s height and reach causing the Aussie shooters to hesitate.
The Ferns markedly improved in the fourth quarter, cutting their errors. Nweke had a little more time and space in the circle, with Bruce and Aryang both sitting on the bench.
However, Australia still looked comfortable taking the quarter 17-14.