The result marks the Silver Ferns’ first loss of 2026 and ends their run of 11 consecutive test wins. New Zealand win the series 3-1, but fall short of sweeping Australia for the first time.

Kiwi shooter Grace Nweke won the inaugural Norma-Plummer Medal for player of the series. Nweke notched up 42/45 from 54 minutes in game four.

Diminutive goal attack Georgie Horjus starred for the hosts, slotting 26 goals at 92.9%, most of them from range. Goal keep Jessie Grenvold was outstanding for her four gains, while skipper Liz Watson had 50 feeds and Amy Permenter was a constant threat in the midcourt. Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich looks to have settled on her top line-up, making no substitutions.

In contrast, Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua rung frequent changes for her side, who were clearly running on fumes after three titanic efforts.

Errors hampered their efforts to play with pace. New Zealand struggled to find the circle edge and the long feeds were often picked off by the Aussie defenders. At times, the Ferns lacked the patience they had shown earlier in the series, opting for risky passes.

On the bright side, Kelly Jackson produced another superb outing. The New Zealand goal keep was reading the Australian attack like a thrilling novel, repeatedly sprinting out of the circle to pick off passes. Jackson finished with five gains, the most of any player in the test.

The substitutions saw Amelia Walmsley collect some valuable time at both goal shoot and goal attack, while defender Parris Mason had 21 minutes off the bench.

New Zealand goal attack Te Paea Selby Rickit told Fox Sports it was an underwhelming finish.

“Obviously in that second half, they put a lot of pressure on us and forced a lot of errors. We struggled to get depth on attack and probably didn’t get enough ball. Disappointing, but overall, happy with the series.

“We wanted to go 4-0, which is something we haven’t done before. Disappointing, but we’ll go away and look at that. We’ve got a series against the [New Zealand] Men coming up, that we can work on some things,

“But we won the Constellation Cup, and that doesn’t come round very often, so we’re really happy with that.”

Taurua switched things up in the final test, starting Selby-Rickit at goal attack instead of Georgia Heffernan, who struggled with accuracy in Sydney. Peta Toeava was also reintroduced at wing attack after a superb outing in the second test in Christchurch.

New Zealand wobbled early in the first quarter with a pass sailing over Toeava on the second phase, but Selby-Rickit won it straight back.

As they did in Christchurch, defenders Karin Burger and Jackson forced the Australian shooters to deliberate around the circle, creating a turnover. The Ferns failed to capitalise when Selby-Rickit missed at the other end.

Australian defender Jessie Grenvold continued her stellar work from Sydney, deflecting feeds into Nweke. Watson pinched a Kiwi pass in the midcourt, and for the first time, one of the two sides converted on a turnover.

Jackson nabbed one back in the circle with some help from Burger, and the Ferns levelled things at 10-10.

Grenvold again disrupted Nweke, but Maddy Gordon won it back on the circle edge up the other end. The Ferns and Diamonds went blow-for-blow for the remainder of the quarter, which New Zealand edged 15-14.

In the second stanza, Jackson switched on to marking Horjus. The defender’s major height advantage forced an early miss, but a miscommunication between Burger and Gordon saw the hosts draw level once more.

Diamonds centre Kate Moloney put Toeava under pressure from a centre pass, and Australia soon pushed out to a three-goal lead.

Five minutes into the second stanza, Taurua injected Mason for the first time this series at goal defence for Burger. Mason was busy around the circle but unable to make a gain in the quarter.

Grenvold picked off an intercept, but Australia lost it over the baseline with an errant feed at the attacking end. Jackson picked off another gain in the circle, and the Ferns scored their fifth consecutive goal for a two-point lead.

The New Zealand goal keep forced another turnover, but Nweke threw an intercept pass, and the chance to extend the lead went begging.

Horjus slotted a long-ranged attempt to end the quarter 17-17, with the Ferns leading 32-31 at halftime.

Kate Heffernan shifted to centre and twin Georgia was injected at goal attack for the third quarter, with Mila Reuelu-Buchanan into wing defence. However, the first pass between the twins was nabbed by Parmenter.

Jackson created her fourth gain, but Nweke missed and failed to secure the rebound. The quarter continued in tense fashion before Nweke conceded an offensive contact against Grenvold and Australia edged out by three.

Burger subbed back in for Mason with 4.35 remaining in the third quarter. Georgia Heffernan fired a bullet pass over Nweke’s head. It got worse when the Kiwi goal attack copped a subtle push in the back from Courtney Bruce, which went unpunished by the officials, and the ball spilt out. Suddenly, the Aussie lead was seven.

Taurua rang the changes. Selby-Rickit and Toeava returned, with Walmsley bravely subbed on for Nweke at goal shoot. There wasn’t enough time to make an impact in quarter three, which Australia dominated 20-13 for a 51-45 overall lead.

Consecutive misses from Walmsley and Selby-Rickit marred the start of the fourth quarter. Watson intercepted a pass from Burger to Reuelu-Buchanan and the Diamonds’ lead blew out to 10. Parmenter followed Watson’s efforts, the Australian midcourt keeping the Kiwis under constant pressure.

Taurua subbed Nweke back into goal shoot and Walmsley to goal attack. Toeava showed her class with that connection to her former Mystics teammate, firing a feed into Nweke from deep in the centre third.

New Zealand tried to speed the game up to reel in the deficit, but didn’t have the time or accuracy to do so. Australia won the final quarter 17-13.

The Silver Ferns have won the Constellation Cup for the fourth time, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the four-game series.

New Zealand edged a ferocious, ugly encounter in Sydney 52-49 over Australia, their first win over the Ditch since 2024. A 13-8 fourth-quarter comeback, including seven consecutive goals to start, marked their 11th consecutive test victory and kept them unbeaten through 10 games in 2026.

Maddy Gordon battled injury late in her 50th test, working herself to exhaustion in a 55-minute effort with 26 feeds and two stunning interceptions. The midcourter got stuck into the niggle, openly mocking the raucous Australian supporters in the fourth quarter and copping copious amounts of contact.

Australia defender Jessie Grenvold became one of the only players in the world to get the better of Grace Nweke, making seven gains. The Kiwi shooter held strong and delivered late despite a wobbly start, finishing with 41 goals from 45 attempts.

Dame Noeline Taurua expertly interchanged Georgia Heffernan and Te Paea Selby-Rickit at goal attack after a few communication breakdowns in the first half while feeding Nweke. There were several lazy passes and feeds, which spilled over the baseline, allowing the Diamonds to an early lead and resulting in clear frustration for the New Zealand shooters.

The Ferns’ troubles were offset by their hustle in the midcourt, particularly from Gordon and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, plus another typically dogged showing from defenders Kelly Jackson and Karin Burger.

Skipper Burger told Sky Sport they have been working so hard.

“You could see it out there; the hunger was really there. We knew Aussie was going to bring it and they definitely did, especially on their home soil.

“We’re so happy we got that game, but we’ve got one more to go.”

Burger credited her coach for the way they have adapted at key moments.

“That’s just coach extraordinaire, Noels, knowing exactly what her players can do and what’s needed in that moment of time.”

Taurua opted to start Reuelu-Buchanan at wing defence alongside Kate Heffernan and Gordon in the midcourt, with Kimiora Poi on the bench.

Australia coach Stacey Marinkovich changed her shooting circle to Sophie Garbin and the zippy Georgie Horjus at goal attack.

In a major disruption for the Diamonds, Kate Moloney went off with a finger injury due to an early clash with Kate Heffernan. It shifted goal attack Horjus into the midcourt and Sophie Dwyer into goal attack.

As they had all series, the Silver Ferns started strongly with a 4-1 lead, but an early miss from Georgia Heffernan led the Diamonds to tighten things up.

The man-on defence from the hosts forced New Zealand to look back into their defensive third, with Nweke coming out of the circle to receive a pass and then missing the shot.

The Ferns shooting end looked a little rattled, with Grenvold picking off a feed from the usually reliable Georgia Heffernan into Nweke. The New Zealand shooter then failed to reel in Georgia Heffernan’s next feed, which spilled over the baseline.

An errant pass from Georgia to twin Kate Heffernan resulted in another turnover as they struggled to work the ball to the circle edge, the Diamonds’ defensive pressure making every pass a challenge. Georgia Heffernan was swiftly benched by Taurua in favour of Selby-Rickit.

The veteran goal attack missed her first attempt on the stroke of quarter time, giving Australia a 15-11 lead at the break. It marked the first time in nine games New Zealand trailed after one quarter.

The Ferns conceded their opening centre pass of the second quarter while trying to find Nweke, but Jackson won the ball back at the other end after Garbin put her foot on the baseline.

Some energetic work from Courtney Bruce in the circle forced Selby-Rickit into a held ball, but Australia again encountered the baseline up the other end. Bruce and Grenvold looked to double-team Nweke as the Ferns fed the ball, with Bruce swapping on to Selby-Rickit when necessary.

Amy Parmenter picked off a turnover from the Ferns’ midcourt, but a Garbin miss kept New Zealand within two.

Sarah Klau subbed on for Bruce at goal defence. Meanwhile, the Silver Ferns attacking end started to find their rhythm, feeding Nweke more easily.

Dwyer turned down the opportunity from range and Garbin missed, with the rebound going the Ferns’ way. Jackson and Burger effected a second consecutive steal, and Selby-Rickit slotted a long-ranged attempt to tie proceedings at 26-26 at halftime, after a 15-11 second quarter win.

Poi came into wing attack for the Ferns in the third quarter, shifting Gordon to centre and Kate Heffernan to the bench.

Selby-Rickit missed an early sitter but Reuelu-Buchanan won the ball back for the Ferns in the midcourt as the sides went blow-for-blow.

Grenvold nabbed her fourth gain, intercepting a sloppy Nweke pass to Gordon as the shooter looked to reposition in the circle.

Poi was then warned for unnecessary contact on Parmenter after the Aussie midcourter hit the floor on the transverse line.

Georgia Heffernan returned to the goal attack bib for Selby-Rickit, with Kate Heffernan replacing Reuelu-Buchanan at wing defence moments later.

Nweke dropped a long-range feed from Gordon over the baseline and Australia cemented their advantage, with a lead of five.

Again, the Ferns’ midcourt and defensive end kept them in the contest, winning stops and drawing them back within two. Australia edged the third quarter 15-13 for a 41-39 overall lead heading into the final stanza.

Grenvold clearly had the better of Nweke, with the latter conceding offensive contact and the former picking off a turnover in the following sequence. The physicality ramped up, with several players colliding in the opening two minutes.

Garbin wobbled and missed her first fourth-quarter attempt, with Burger pouncing on the rebound. Nweke continued to struggle up the other end, missing twice early, but secured rebounds and helped New Zealand to a 4-0 start.

Both goal attacks were changed, with Selby-Rickit and Australia’s Kiera Austin joining the contest.

The Diamonds’ attack misfired again, with another Gordon deflection piling pressure on the hosts. The Ferns took a 7-0 lead to start the fourth and a five-goal lead overall. When Austin slotted Australia’s first goal of the final quarter, almost six and a half minutes had elapsed.

Gordon fell awkwardly after another midcourt collision but courageously carried on.

The Diamonds refused to go away. The hosts’ defence tightened again and the Ferns were forced to work hard to find the circle edge. Aussie turnovers helped them level proceedings at 47-47 with a run of five consecutive goals.

Then the error came. Horjus was pinged for offensive contact and suddenly the game was there to be won if they could close out the final seconds. Nweke was bashed to the ground again, but secured the two-goal lead, stretched to three moments later. The Silver Ferns won the final quarter 13-8.

The fourth and final test is in Melbourne on Wednesday, with New Zealand having already declared their intention to win the series 4-0.

In the second test, New Zealand convincingly beat Australia 62-50, winning three quarters.

Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.