Following their Commonwealth Games gold medal success in Glasgow, New Zealand claimed their fourth Constellation Cup, defeating Australia 3-1 and continuing their impressive form across the opening three Tests, securing the trophy with a game to spare.
Australia avoided a series clean sweep with a 66-58 victory in the fourth and final Test in Melbourne. With two victories on home soil and a crucial win in Sydney, New Zealand showed they could perform in different environments.
Series recap
Game One: Silver Ferns 56-50 Diamonds
New Zealand opened their Constellation Cup campaign with a six-goal victory in Auckland, establishing control early with a 15-10 lead into the first break before extending their advantage to 10 goals at half-time.
Grace Nweke was instrumental in the hosts’ victory, finishing with 40 goals from 41 attempts, while defensive pairing Kelly Jackson and Karin Burger caused significant problems for the Australian attack, who struggled to find consistent attacking connections and were unable to overcome the Ferns’ defensive pressure.
Although Australia finished strongly, winning the final quarter 17-11, the damage had already been done as New Zealand secured a 56-50 victory. The result gave the Silver Ferns an early series advantage and continued Australia’s difficult run of results on New Zealand soil.
Game Two: Silver Ferns 62-50 Diamonds
New Zealand doubled their series advantage with another convincing victory, with a 12-goal lead in Christchurch. Once again the Ferns started strongly, leading 17-14 at quarter-time before extending their advantage to 7 goals at the main break.
Nweke continued to dominate in the shooting circle, finishing with 49 goals from 52 attempts, while Maddy Gordon produced an influential performance through the midcourt in WA.
Australia showed signs of improvement during the third quarter, with defensive changes involving Kate Moloney, Courtney Bruce and Jessie Grenvold helping them win back possession and reduce the deficit to just 3 goals.
However, New Zealand responded emphatically in the final quarter, outscoring the Diamonds 17-8 to secure a 62-50 victory. The result put the Silver Ferns within one victory of reclaiming the Constellation Cup, leaving Australia with a significant challenge heading into the Australian leg of the series.
Embed from Getty ImagesGame Three: Diamonds 49-52 Silver Ferns
The series moved to Australian soil for the third Test, with the Diamonds desperate to keep their hopes of retaining the trophy alive with their strongest performance of the series to that point, taking a 15-11 lead into the first quarter break.
Despite the Silver Ferns drawing level at half-time, the Diamonds continued to challenge their opponents, with Jessie Grenvold and Courtney Bruce providing strong defensive pressure. Australia regained the advantage during the third quarter, heading into the final 15 minutes with a 41-39 lead.
However, the Silver Ferns produced a remarkable response, opening the final quarter with 7 unanswered goals to take control of the contest. The Diamonds fought back to level the scores at 47-47, but New Zealand’s defensive discipline and ability to capitalise on Australian errors proved decisive.
The visitors closed out a 52-49 victory, securing the Constellation Cup with one match remaining and marked their fourth title in the competition’s 16-year history.
Game Four: Diamonds 68-58 Silver Ferns
With the trophy already secured, the final Test presented Australia with an opportunity to finish the series on a positive note, while New Zealand looked to complete a clean sweep. The Diamonds responded to their earlier disappointment with an impressive attacking performance, eventually securing a 10-goal victory.
The sides were closely matched during the opening half, with Australia taking a narrow 32-31 deficit into the break. However, the Diamonds found another gear after half-time, producing a dominant third quarter to outscore the Silver Ferns 20-13.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe attacking combination of Sophie Garbin and Georgie Horjus proved particularly effective, with Garbin finishing with 42 goals from 47 attempts and Horjus adding 26 from 28.
At the other end, Courtney Bruce and Jessie Grenvold also impressed defensively as Australia limited New Zealand’s attacking opportunities.
The 68-58 victory ensured the Diamonds avoided a clean sweep and finished the series with something to build on heading into 2027.
Embed from Getty ImagesLooking ahead
Although the Diamonds prevented a clean sweep in Melbourne, the 2026 Constellation Cup ultimately belonged to the Silver Ferns.
The Silver Ferns added another major achievement to an impressive year, having already claimed Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow and extended their run to 13 consecutive wins in Test three.
Embed from Getty ImagesFor Australia, there will be disappointment at losing the trophy after their success in 2025, but the final Test provided encouraging signs that they can respond to adversity.
Both nations now have plenty to consider as they turn their attention to the 2027 Netball World Cup.
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