Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 9:20pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 9:20pm
Silver Ferns looked tired
Despite winning the overall series, the New Zealand head coach was a bit disappointed by her team’s performance.
“We looked a bit weary, we looked a bit tired, I could feel it slipping away from us and we did try to hold on there,” Noeline Taurua told Fox Netball.
“It’s a bummer that we’ve lost this game, but the fire is still burning.”
The team will now head home and play against the New Zealand men’s team in a series to try and blood some new players.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 9:06pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 9:06pm
World ranking?
The Diamonds avoided a clean sweep in the series, as the Silver Ferns claimed it 3-1. So host broadcaster Fox Netball says the Australians have done enough to hold onto their world number one ranking. But as per our earlier post, we’re not totally sure that’s correct. I wish World Netball’s ranking system wasn’t so confusing! ABC Sport has asked the global governing body for clarification before and they basically told us to wait until the update, so we won’t know for sure until December 1st.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:53pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:53pm
Grenvold first to ball
A Heffernan pass with too much on it over the top of the circle is about to go out the sideline and Grenvold and Toeava are after it. But it’s Grenvold who gets the penalty call. First two it and contacted by Toeava.
SCORE: Australia leads 67-56
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:51pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:51pm
Weston is in the house
They’ve dearly missed her this series, but at least the Aussie defender is at the game, cheering on her team courtside.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:49pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:49pm
Five minutes left
Parmenter has a point to prove against Toeava it seems! Who really got the better of this Diamonds team in Christchurch. She is locked on her direct opposition’s body and using her last bit of energy to contest every pass.
SCORE: Australia leads 63-53
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:48pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:48pm
Huge feed
Toeava is the queen of the long feed. She sends the ball from the midcourt miles downtown to Nweke.
SCORE: Australia leads 61-52
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:45pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:45pm
10-goal difference
All of these little moments are helping the Diamonds pull away further. Nine minutes left in the game and they margin is now at double digits.
SCORE: Australia leads 58-48
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:44pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:44pm
Parmenter has a crack
The earlier warning hasn’t put off Amy Parmenter, who sharply turns her body to cut off a pass from Selby-Rickit. The force of the take sees her fall to the floorboads but she gets two hands to it. As a player that has been in and out of the squad over the years, this is her opportunity to prove her worth to Marinkovich.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:43pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:43pm
Watson gets the call
The Silver Ferns are forced back on the centre pass and Watson is stronger in the contest than Reuelu-Buchanan. She get’s the umpire’s call.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:42pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:42pm
Two misses in a row from NZ
Both Walmsley and Selby-Rickit miss a shot at goal and the Diamonds use the opportunity to score through Horjus at the other end.
SCORE: Australia leads 53-46
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:33pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:33pm
Substitutions
New Zealand have responded to the 50-43 scoreline with a minute and a half to play. Toeava is back on in wing attack, Selby-Rickit back into goal attack. Amelia Walmsley gets her first minutes on court at goal shooter.
Gordon, Georgia Heffernan and Nweke head to the bench.
Earlier in the quarter, Burger also returned at goal defence after a short spell on the bench.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:31pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:31pm
Up by five
This Horjus and Garbin combination is starting to gel nicely and with a little more than two minutes left in the third quarter they now have the biggest lead in the game.
SCORE: Australia leads 48-43
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:30pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:30pm
Diamonds capitalise
Heffernan miskews a pass for Nweke and it’s so big, it sails over the baseline and into the umpire’s hands. The throw-in is Australia’s and they go full court to score.
That shooting pairing that has worked so well together at the Commonwealth Games is not connecting the way the Ferns would like late in this game.
SCORE: Australia leads 46-42
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:29pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:29pm
Australia pulls away
While I’ve got you up to speed on all of that, the Diamonds have pulled away on the scoreboard. They’re quietly building well into this third quarter, chipping away at the scoreboard.
SCORE: Australia leads 44-41
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:24pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:24pm
Parmenter warning
Five minute into the quarter, Amy Parmenter has been warned by the Welsh umpire for repeated infringement. That was quite an innocuous one, if anything Parmenter tried to lower her arms and move to the side of Heffernan as the pair softly banged into each other outside the circle and the goal attack sent the ball into the circle. It’ll be interesting to see if any changes are made off the back of this because if Parmenter gets called for doing the same thing again, she could end up with a two-minute suspension on the bench as her team plays down an athlete on court.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:24pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:24pm
Five changes for the Ferns
New Zealand have made five more changes to their line-up at he break and we’ve just clocked them, Selby-Rickit and Toeava subbed off. Reuelu-Buchananand Georgia Heffernan come off the bench and into the WD and GA bibs respectively. Kate Heffernan moves to centre and Gordon to wing attack.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:20pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:20pm
Grenvold rebound
Nweke misses a shot at goal and Grenvold pinches the ball. Australia goes full court in transition and convert.
SCORE: Tied 33-all
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:19pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:19pm
Jackson intercept
Just as the Diamonds were looking comfortable, Jackson appears and disrupts their attack.
SCORE: New Zealand leads 33-32
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:19pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:19pm
Great feed
Up the middle channel, Horjus sets up Garbin for the opening goal of the third quarter.
SCORE: Tied 32-all
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:05pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:05pm
Parmy intercept
Again Nweke drives out of the circle but as she tries to pass the ball to Toeava onto circle edge, Parmenter picks it off and the Diamonds add another to their tally.
SCORE: New Zealand leads 31-29
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:04pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:04pm
Jackson intercept
Right up on the transverse line, Jackson steals more ball.
SCORE: New Zealand leads 31-28
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:04pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:04pm
NZ confident
Two minutes to go and Nweke is feeling confident, she pushes out of the circle to help bring the ball into the circle.
SCORE: New Zealand leads 30-28
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:00pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 8:00pm
Jackson intercept
Gosh the Silver Ferns goal keeper has been so strong this series. She holds Garbin back under the post and gets two hands to a Diamonds’ pass.
SCORE: New Zealand leads 23-22
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:57pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:57pm
Bruce offside
Bruce falls offside in the Diamonds’ goal third trying to help her team bring the ball up court and New Zealand edge one back.
SCORE: Australia leads 22-21
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:56pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:56pm
Momentum swinging
Tracking Toeava as she drove forward for the centre pass, Moloney forces a turnover from centre Maddy Gordon. The Diamonds convert to take advantage of the mistake.
SCORE: Australia leads 21-20
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:53pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:53pm
Parmenter first to ball
The Silver Ferns are pushed wide in attack and although Gordon taps an overcooked pass back into play, it’s Parmenter that’s first to the loose ball. The Diamonds level things up and go back in front on their next centre pass.
SCORE: Australia leads 17-16
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:51pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:51pm
Grenvold tip
On the first centre pass of the second quarter, Grenvold’s fancy footwork gets her in a great position todeflect a pass into the circle from Selby-Rickit. The Diamonds convert her efforts.
SCORE: Tied 15-all
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:46pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:46pm
Horjus having to step up
The Kiwi defenders are double tagging Garbin and restricting her ability to have a crack at goal. Goal attack Horjus is taking on the load as a result and the crowd cheers a successful shot.
SCORE: New Zealand leads 14-13
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:44pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:44pm
NZ hit the lead
With roughly three minutes left in the opening quarter, Horjus tries to pass back to Moloney on the circle edge and find a better place to shoot but Gordon forces turnover and suddenly the Silver Ferns are in front.
SCORE: New Zealand leads 12-11
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:43pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:43pm
Jackson and Jury combine
Horjus misses a shot at goal and both New Zealand Silver Ferns circle defenders jump on the rebound. The visitors edge one back.
SCORE: Australia leads 10-9
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:42pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:42pm
Australia breaks the centre pass
The Diamonds hold up New Zealand on the centre pass and the defensive pressure, forcing the Silver Ferns backwards sees Burger throw a desperate pass back to Jackson in Australia’s goal third. Garbin and Watson work together to turn the ball over for the Aussies and they go three in a row.
SCORE: Australia leads 9-7
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:39pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:39pm
Grenvold touch
Jessie Grenvold has been impressive in her debut international series and surely needs to be a lock for World Cup selection now. With front position, she leaps high in the Silver Ferns’ circle and gets a deflection on a feed meant for Nweke. But it’s not enough to prevent New Zealand scoring.
SCORE: Tied 6-all
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:37pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:37pm
A long trip down court
A feed into Garbin was overcooked over the baseline and she couldn’t pull it in. But as the Silver Ferns tried to convert it Selby-Rickit missed the shot and Bruce was straight on the loose ball. The Diamonds recover possession and Garbin scores.
SCORE: Australia leads 4-3
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:33pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:33pm
Both teams on the scoreboard
A build up in pressure saw the Silver Ferns spray the ball over the baseline on their first centre pass, but Selby-Rickit intercepts Australia’s throw-in and New Zealand respond.
SCORE: Tied 1-all
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:30pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:30pm
Home crowd advantage
A happy hunting ground for the Diamonds at John Cain Arena? According to Fox Netball, not since 2015 have the Silver Ferns won in Melbourne.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:23pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:23pm
Marinkovich’s success rate
After losing this Constellation Cup with one match still left to play, the Diamonds head coach now has a 50 per cent success rate in the series since she took over in 2020. Here’s what her winning rate looks like overall. The heat increasing on her position is mostly recent results, seeing the Australian side miss the Commonwealth Games final for the first time in history and now losing these past three matches to the Ferns.
To be fair, Marinkovich is missing some key players in this Constellation Cup. Jo Weston opted out of the series, wanting to give her body a rest. Sunday Aryang is still in the rehab process trying to return to the court after rupturing her ACL in the final match of the last Con Cup this time last year. Jamie-Lee Price has been unavailable for most of this series with a calf injury. Kate Moloney has also had multiple finger injuries that have limited her time on court. Lastly, Matilda Garrett has been ruled out with concuission.
Stacey Marinkovich’s winning rate as Diamonds head coach. (Fox Netball)
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:10pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:10pm
Captain injury scare
Karin Burger was pictured in a moon boot on Monday at the airport leaving Sydney, but has been named so we’re assuming it was precautionary. The Silver Ferns confirmed she did not wear the boot yesterday or today and has been named in the team. Back in 2022, Burger was ruled out of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games with a navicular fracture in her right foot that required surgery. However, this seems to be an issue with the left foot.
Burger pictured in a moon boot. (Facebook: Netball Talk)
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:08pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:08pm
Team changes
AUSTRALIA
Diamonds unchanged as two of their 14 are injured. Matilda Garrett (concussion) and Jamie-Lee Price (calf) remain unavailable.
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NEW ZEALAND
Peta Toeava replaces Kimiora Poi in the Silver Ferns match day 12 for the fourth test in Melbourne. This is the same match day 12 as the second test in Christchurch.
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Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:05pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:05pm
Can the umpires keep control?
I’m hoping for a bit more display of discipline tonight . The penalty count disparity needs to be addressed by coaching staff. Can’t blame all of such a gap on iffy calls.
– Phillip
In our opinion, as the physicality ramped up in the final quarter of game three, the match started to get out of hand. Players were caught underneath each other on the ground and others hit the deck hard in the contest for the ball. It’s important the umpires keep control of the match so nobody gets hurt. There was physicality from both sides, as they were desperate to win. But the Aussie Diamonds again finished on top of the penalty count with 51 total to the Ferns 44.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:01pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 7:01pm
Gordon responds to boos
In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, Silver Ferns midcourter Maddy Gordon was awarded possession in a contest and the 11,000 strong crowd in Sydney didn’t like the call. A chorus of boos rang around the stadium and Gordon responded by mimicking a chattering mouth with her hand. A cheeky gesture that was caught on broadcast.
“I don’t know what came over me,” Gordon laughed.
“Oh my goodness, I honestly didn’t think at the time anyone would see it, so this is quite hilarious.
“I was just a bit over the crowd booing blatant contact calls so that was just my reaction, a bit of an eye roll and a bit of a, you know.
“I back it. You know I’m all for loud and passionate crowds, love them, but just the booing yeah, got me. In that moment I just had enough … it was funny that the camera was right on me.”
We’ll keep an eye on Maddy and see if there is any more crowd interaction in game four. Read more on the story from New Zealand Radio Sport’s Bridget Tunnicliffe in the article below.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:56pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:56pm
The balance of priorities
Amy Parmenter also told the ABC that the Diamonds had bigger priorities this series than winning the trophy. The group believes they’re in a good position after trialling different combinations and playing styles for next year’s World Cup.
“100 per cent. We’ve got a camp in January and really, that’s about it before the actual lead in camp in July or August, so there’s really not a lot of time.” Parmenter said.
“This is our last international game and you have to have that depth. You just don’t know [what can happen in the next Super Netball season] before that World Cup.
“It’s really exciting that we are getting a lot of young talent out there and setting ourselves up well I think.”
With all due respect to Amy, I’m not sure fans would agree.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:52pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:52pm
Diamonds on News Breakfast
On Tuesday, Australian players Kiera Austin and Amy Parmenter appeared on ABC News Breakfast. They touched on the pressure mounting on their head coach Stacey Marinkovich to keep her job beyond her current contract that expires at the end of 2027. And were also asked if the Diamonds were unfairly held to a higher standard than other national sporting teams.
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Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:48pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:48pm
A new world order?
As we’ve been banging on about all series, not only was the Constellation Cup there for the taking but so is the world number one ranking.
Silver Ferns head coach Noeline Taurua said she thought her team needed to win all four games to move from second position into World Netball’s top spot, but according to people much better at maths than I, a 3-1 series victory is already enough for them to do that.
Still, I’m sure they’d love to be absolutely sure and win all four matches to cement the position. The global governing body is next due to update its list on December 1st.
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Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:43pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:43pm
What’s on the line tonight
New Zealand could do something they haven’t done in 16 years.
Since the series began in 2010 it has only ever been clean swept twice (2014, 2017) and never by the Silver Ferns.
There’s pride at stake for the Aussies, who will do their best to try and prevent that historic defeat. But the results aren’t looking great so far for them ahead of a home Netball World Cup next August in Sydney. This is their final international game before the major tournament and their last chance to build some confidence.
Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:40pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:40pm
The winning moment
This was the moment the Ferns realised they’d won the Constellation Cup for just the fourth time in history.
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Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:39pmWed 28 Oct 2026 at 6:39pm
Sunday’s game
In case you missed it, a reminder of what happened in game three in Sydney. The Diamonds were the better team for the majority of the game before being overthrown in the final quarter.
In front on the scoreboard 41-39 at three-quarter time in a gripping contest, Australian fans were starting to hope before the Silver Ferns rattled off seven straight goals to begin the final quarter and wrangle control of the game.
It was a frantic end to the match, the physicality went up a notch and although the Diamonds fought hard to level the score 47-all with five minutes left to play, the Silver Ferns were more disciplined defensively and slicker in transition. They treasured any possession they won back and ultimately finished the match on top 52-49. You can read our report on the match below.