The Silver Ferns defeated Jamaica 56-48 to win Commonwealth Games netball gold, their first since 2010, after a hard-fought final that came down to a decisive third-quarter breakaway.
"Honestly, it's been a journey," goal keeper Kelly Jackson said after the match in Glasgow.
"We've been to hell and back, but I think that's galvanised us as a team.
"We've had so much fun these last few weeks. We've been on the road for about a month now, and it's just gone so fast, and I think we've worked really hard and if we didn't come home with the goal today, we knew that we'd given it everything so to come home with the gold is just a cherry on the cake."
The group spoke of the higher level of confidence they have felt this time compared to in Birmingham in 2022, when they finished with bronze medals beating England 55-48.
New Zealand hasn't achieved a gold medal in netball at the event since 2010 in New Delhi, India.
In the final three minutes coach Dame Noeline Taurua said she knew her team had won.
"It feels quite sublime at the moment but very honoured and it's just so cool," she told 1News.
"They pushed us actually probably to about two and a half quarters and we were able to crack it open and at last it just sort of floodgates open but I thought they did really well," she said about Jamaica's fight in the match.
"They played an amazing game against Australia and obviously getting themselves into this position was sublime so utmost respect to them."
For Dame Noeline, the win comes a year after she was stood down amid a player-led employment investigation following a Sydney training camp. She was later reinstated.
Asked if the gold felt like vindication, Dame Noeline was measured.
"I don't know if it's vindication, it was a moment of time... but also something for us to celebrate — it's a pass for me and I'm so glad that I'm back here now."
Dame Noeline also praised her side's discipline, with just eight turnovers against Jamaica — inside her target of fewer than 10.
"Shooting percentages were really high, there was a hunger there," she said.
A tight contest until the third
The match was an intense performance from both teams from the start, with the Ferns edging ahead to 13-16 in the first quarter. Jamaica brought high energy and guarded every player closely while the Silver Ferns got themselves into the right positions to keep the ball and prevent intercepts.
In the second quarter, Jamaica's goal shoot Romelda Aiken-George maintained the score to 25-28.
Jamaica came back after half time with the edge, equalling the score at 32, 33 then 34 all in quick succession. Jamaica's goal keeper Shamera Sterling made scoring difficult for Silver Fern goal shoot Grace Nweke, but most of the time she succeeded.
By the end of the third quarter, New Zealand had edged out the score to 36-41, the largest gap of the match so far. Kelly 'Jackson and Karin Burger provided key intercepts.
"Our attacking was really clinical, but we knew we had to come up with something, and luckily in that third quarter, we managed to break away... we put ourselves in a really good position to close out that match," Kelly Jackson said.
Early in the last quarter, New Zealand had a growing momentum with the score 37-44. With eight minutes to go, the Ferns were 10 points ahead. Jamaica scored but the Silver Ferns maintained their lead with the result clear in the final few minutes.
Dame Noeline Taurua became head coach of the team in 2018 after their worst Commonwealth Games result of fourth on the Gold Coast. The team went on to win the 2019 Netball World Cup.
Yesterday, Jamaica performed one of the biggest shocks in Commonwealth Games history, pushing defending champions Australia out of the final for the first time ever with the final score 46-45.
This was the first time Jamaica and New Zealand had met in a major final.
In the Silver Ferns second pool game they beat Jamaica 53-48, but were never out of the woods from the hungry Sunshine Girls.
"In my room before this game coming to the game, I just had to start putting myself in a position of what it would feel like after the game having the gold around my neck and nothing really compares to it," captain Karin Burger said.
"It's an amazing feeling and such a sense of relief that it's been a lot of hard work, you know. It's seven games in ten days, is a lot. But really, really proud that we're able to actually push through and put out a performance like we did as well."
Former England netball player Tamsin Greenway said the world's top netball teams are closer than they've ever been. She called for more major netball tournaments around the world to grow the game further.
Greenway said Kate Heffernan was one of the best midcourters in the world before the match began.
Goal shooter Grace Nweke, goal keeper Kelly Jackson and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan — playing in the unfamiliar position of wing defence — have also been praised throughout the Games for their consistent performances.
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