The Australian Diamonds have narrowly won the Constellation Cup after they lost the fourth and final test in the series to the New Zealand Silver Ferns on Monday.
The 53-50 loss meant that Australia settled for a series win on aggregate goals, in a bitter sweet victory that forms the team’s 11th Constellation Cup title.
The Diamonds had an early lead in the first quarter of Monday’s game, maintaing it through the second quarter, where Australia led by two goals at half-time. The Diamonds kept ahead in the third quarter, right up until mid way through the final quarter, when the Silver Ferns came out in front.
The game was neck and neck right up until the last minutes, when Australia fell behind, losing 53-50. Australia’s Sophie Garbin played an impressive game, finishing with 37 goals from 40 attempts.
The loss meant that Australia and New Zealand had each won 2 games in the four part series. Accounting for aggregate goals – a 208-195 goal difference – over the four games, the Diamonds were able to claim the series win.
“It’s been a pretty special year for us, obviously very exciting but, we’re obviously disappointed with our last two games,” Diamonds captain Liz Watson said after the final whistle.
“We’re extremely proud that we are able to keep this Cup – it’s something that we’ve worked really hard for.”
With the another Constellation Cup to their name, the Diamonds will now turn their focus to a series against South Africa in Australia. The two nations will compete in a three-match series played across Cairns and Hobart.
Donnell Wallam and Amy Parmenter who made their international test debuts last year will join the squad for the series. Matilda Garrett has also been included in the Diamonds squad for the first time.
The international series comes as the the Australian Netball Players’ Association continues its fight for a revenue-sharing payment model. Players in Australia’s domestic super netball league have been off contract and have not been paid since Collective Players Agreement (CPA) ran out on September 30.
Last week, the Australian Cricketers’ Association committed to establishing a six-figure “fighting fund” for Australian netballers amid the pay dispute between the players union and Netball Australia.