Diamonds on Brink of Series Defeat as Silver Ferns Gain Advantage Once More in New Zealand

The Australian Diamonds’ hopes in the Constellation Cup have taken a hit after they faced a second straight defeat to New Zealand on Wednesday night.

This latest defeat, by 11 goals, follows an unexpected 64-50 loss in the series opener on Sunday.

Now, the Diamonds will head back to Australia for the remaining two matches of the series, where the champion of this annual trans-Tasman showdown will be decided.

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This 63-52 defeat in Auckland marked Australia’s eighth consecutive loss on New Zealand soil.

Marking coach Stacey Marinkovich’s 50th Test match in charge, the team made several adjustments, yet the same atypical mistakes from the first match continued to plague them.

Captain and standout midcourter Liz Watson found herself sidelined at quarter time as the Diamonds struggled yet again against the Silver Ferns’ attacking might.

New Zealand’s formidable shooter Grace Nweke boasted an impressive shooting rate of 92 per cent, netting 47 from 51 attempts, forming an unstoppable partnership with Ameliaranne Ekenasio, who scored 16 from 18 attempts.

As play unfolded, New Zealand’s ring defence duo of Kelly Jackson and Karin Burger combined for eight turnovers, showcasing their dominance.

Sophie Garbin emerged as Australia’s leading scorer, contributing 30 goals at 91 per cent accuracy.

Unfortunately, Australia played right into the hands of New Zealand, with Garbin committing five turnovers, while Kiera Austin added three before being substituted late in the second quarter.

Remarkably, Marinkovich rotated every position on the court except for shooter Garbin and centre Jamie-Lee Price.

As the ball was repeatedly intercepted down Australia’s end, former Diamond Kim Green remarked to Fox Netball that the match appeared to resemble a “training drill” for the Silver Ferns.

The world champions managed to win the third quarter and closed within seven goals in the final term, yet the Silver Ferns maintained their composure to clinch the victory.

This unexpected performance by the Diamonds follows their recent 2-1 series win over England just last month.

The Roses subsequently triumphed over the Ferns in a 2-1 series earlier this month.

Currently, the Diamonds find themselves 2-0 down in the four-match series—a stark contrast to their success, having secured nine out of the last ten Constellation Cups.

In this installment, an exciting new rule has been introduced where if both teams win two games each, additional time will be played at the end of the final match to decide the winner. The Diamonds must win their upcoming matches in Perth and Melbourne to stay in contention.

Should it come down to it, a winner-takes-all decider of two seven-minute halves will determine the champion.