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Silver Ferns win Constellation Cup despite final-test defeat to Diamonds

Australia beat New Zealand 68-58 in Melbourne to prevent a Constellation Cup clean sweep, but the Silver Ferns had already secured the four-test series.

NewsJaws DeskEditorial desk

Published 28 Oct 2026, 10:30 GMT2 min read

View inside John Cain Arena during a netball grand final. — Context photograph: A netball match is underway at John Cain Arena in Melbourne during the 2023 Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final. Storm machine, “SSNGF2023” (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons (resized and converted to WebP). CC BY-SA 4.0.Image source Image licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

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The Silver Ferns lost 68-58 to the Australian Diamonds in Melbourne on Wednesday, 28 October, ending their bid for a first Constellation Cup clean sweep of Australia. New Zealand nevertheless won the four-test netball series 3-1, the NZ Herald reported.

The NZ Herald reported that it was New Zealand’s first defeat of 2026 and ended an 11-test winning run. Australia’s victory prevented a sweep after the Silver Ferns had settled the series with wins in the first three tests.

How the Diamonds won the Melbourne test

Georgie Horjus led Australia’s scoring with 26 goals at 92.9% accuracy, according to the NZ Herald. The paper reported that Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich made no substitutions, while Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua changed her side frequently as New Zealand struggled with errors and long feeds.

Australian captain Liz Watson supplied 50 feeds, the NZ Herald reported. It also identified Amy Permenter as a threat in midcourt and defender Jessie Grenvold as a significant presence against New Zealand’s attack. Those contributions helped Australia finish the series with a win in front of its Melbourne crowd.

New Zealand shooter Grace Nweke received the inaugural Norma-Plummer Medal as player of the series despite the final-test loss. She played 54 minutes in Melbourne, according to the NZ Herald, and remained central to the Silver Ferns’ attack as Australia pressed its advantage.

What the result changed in the Constellation Cup

New Zealand had beaten Australia 56-50 in Auckland, 62-50 in Christchurch and 52-49 in Sydney, according to the ABC’s match schedule. That gave the Silver Ferns the trophy before the teams met for the fourth time in Melbourne; Australia’s win changed the final series score, but not its winner.

The Sydney win had left New Zealand one victory from its first sweep of Australia in the competition. RNZ reported before the Melbourne test that the Silver Ferns had won Commonwealth Games gold three months earlier and had beaten the Diamonds in five consecutive matches. The final test ended that run against Australia.

For the Diamonds, the result also extended an 11-year winning run against New Zealand in Melbourne, the ABC reported. For the Silver Ferns, it left a fourth Constellation Cup title in 16 series, according to the ABC, alongside the disappointment of missing the sweep.