Coach Dame Noeline Taurua believes the Silver Ferns are coming of age, after her side weathered a storm on Australian soil last night to come away with the Constellation Cup for just the fourth time.
By Bridget Tunnicliffe of RNZ
The Silver Ferns added the Constellation Cup to their Commonwealth Games title after a dramatic come-from-behind 52-49 win over Australia in Sydney.
The Silver Ferns are also expected to dethrone the Diamonds from their number one world ranking if they win Test four, which would be a massive statement ahead of next year's World Cup.
It's been a remarkable 12 months for the Silver Ferns and their coach, who was suspended last year after players raised issues about the high-performance environment.
Taurua reflected on how far the team had come since it was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons just a year ago.
"We've had the bad times and the good times and we've suffered a lot and now we're at that stage where there's an amazing amount of readiness and confidence and they're working so hard in their own craft.
"I think we're coming of age and maturity ... we've been around for a wee while in regards to even building the team."
The Diamonds dominated the first three quarters, putting New Zealand under real pressure for the first time in the series, but the Silver Ferns pulled out a big fourth quarter effort.
Despite heading into the game with a 2-0 series lead after convincing wins in Auckland and Christchurch, recent records suggested it would not be easy beating the Diamonds in their own back yard, having only won two of the past 12 Constellation Cup matches across the ditch.
But captain Karin Burger said they were ready for a dogfight when Australia brought it to them.
"We came in gunning for it and we prepared really well. Noels [Noeline Taurua] had a really good plan of how she wanted us to do that and it was a grind out there today but all the planning obviously showed out there that it was worth it."
Burger said it was the first time in a while that the Silver Ferns had been put on the back foot.
"But all the planning and the trainings that leading into this prepared us quite well for that and kept us calm regardless of the storm that was coming against us and we just knew what we had to do.
"Got instructions from the bench and what she [Taurua] expected from us and we just went out there and did that for her and it showed with us winning."
Taurua said the players will be better off for being put under the pump by Australia.
"With that experience that we've actually probably never been down and being able to come back. So that's massive for us in regards to the learning and we would take a lot of confidence from that as well."
The Diamonds, who barely won any ball on defence in the first two Tests, finished with 10 gains and rookie goalkeeper Jessie Grenvold made life difficult for Grace Nweke, who had been almost untouchable in the first two Tests.
Taurua said Nweke, who still put up 41 goals, was always going to be put under a barrage of pressure.
"We know that and she knows that and she works through that and it's remarkable she's still quite young.
"With this current group, we've got at least a good eight years [to come] so in regards to netball world cups and cycles they're still learning and that's the exciting thing about all of the players."
The Silver Ferns are now on an 11-game winning streak and have beaten Australia in five straight games.
Taurua said leading into the Commonwealth Games the team talked about the opportunity to write their next chapter.
"So Commonwealth Games obviously with the gold was a start of that and now backing that up with Constellation Cup. Whether it is number one or not we're within cooee of Australia and getting closer and knowing that we're building towards Netball World Cup as well."
The Silver Ferns can clean-sweep the series for the first time ever, if they win in Melbourne on Wednesday.
But Taurua has to juggle the desire to end the year unbeaten, with the need to get players out on court, who have seen very little time during the first three Tests.
Taurua will be acutely aware that she has leant heavily on goal shoot Nweke, while the star shooter's main back up Amelia Walmsley has spent no time in that position.
The fourth Test is in Melbourne on Wednesday at 9.30pm NZT.
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