MATCHES
1st Test – TSB Arena (Wellington)
Sun, Oct 20, 7:30pm NZDT (5:30pm AEDT)
2nd Test – Spark Arena (Auckland)
Wed, Oct 23, 7:30pm NZDT (5:30pm AEDT)
3rd Test – RAC Arena (Perth)
Sun, Oct 27, 4pm local time, 7pm AEDT (9pm NZDT)
4th Test – John Cain Arena (Melbourne)
Wed, Oct 30, 7pm AEDT (9pm NZDT)
TEAMS
Diamonds
Sunday Aryang
Kiera Austin
Courtney Bruce
Sophie Dwyer
Rudi Ellis
Sophie Garbin
Matilda Garrett
Paige Hadley
Georgie Horjus
Sarah Klau
Cara Koenen
Kate Moloney
Jamie-Lee Price
Liz Watson (C)
Jo Weston
Coach: Stacey Marinkovich
Silver Ferns
Karin Burger
Ameliaranne Ekenasio (C)
Maddy Gordon
Kate Heffernan
Kelly Jackson
Phoenix Karaka
Parris Mason (subject to medical clearance)
Erena Mikaere
Grace Nweke
Claire O’Brien
Kimiora Poi
Amelia Walmsley
Maia Wilson
Coach: Noeline Taurua
UMPIRES
Gary Burgess
Louise Travis
Kate Mann
HEAD TO HEAD
All matches: 167 (Australia 105, New Zealand 60, Draws 2)
In New Zealand: 70 (Australia 39, New Zealand 30, Draws 1)
In Australia: 71 (Australia 47, New Zealand 23, Draws 1)
Constellation Cup: 52 (Australia 33, New Zealand 19)
Coaches Stacey Marinkovich and Nicole Richardson with the Constellation Cup. Image Simon Leonard
STRENGTHS
Australian Diamonds
While they dropped one game against the Roses, the Diamonds generally hummed along like a well oiled machine using some very familiar faces. Coach Stacey Marinkovich will be hoping to maintain a winning formula, while also testing the depth of her group. Despite an influx of new players joining the Australian squad, many were surprised that only Rudi Ellis made brief cameos despite strong seasons from youngsters Ash Ervin, Georgie Horjus and Hannah Mundy. Ellis and Horjus have both been named in the Constellation Cup squad, but will they take…
While Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin have established themselves as Australia’s number one shooting combination, the remaining three – Cara Koenen, Sophie Dwyer and Horjus will all hope for enough court time and strong performances to nail down the remaining two places. Koenen has proved her worth over the past few seasons, but could fans finally see Horjus make her long awaited debut, or will Dwyer do enough to make it clear that she’s the Diamonds’ second choice goal attack?
The return of Courtney Bruce and Jo Weston will add firepower to the defensive end, leaving the Diamonds spoiled for choice with their combinations. Marinkovich has multiple options, ranging from using her more experienced defenders to running with a very tall backline, and from taggers to ball hunters. What will most likely unfold is the use of a range of options, as Marinkovich searches for ways to reduce Grace Nweke’s impact at goal shooter for the Silver Ferns. Defensively, Sarah Klau and Sunday Aryang were fantastic…
Then there’s the vaunted midcourt. Captain Liz Watson, Paige Hadley, Jamie-Lee Price and Kate Moloney have held off all comers for their places in the final twelve, and been pillars of strength for Australia over the last few years. With just the four middies named in the touring squad, what is the back up plan at wing attack for Liz Watson? Could Horjus be introduced there, where she’s played so fearlessly for the Thunderbirds? Can Kate Maloney push for a consistent starting position? Either way, it’s an area of the…
Coach Noeline Taurua will be looking to start her Constellation Cup campaign on a high, after losing the Taini Jamieson trophy albeit with close score lines.
The defensive end of the Ferns kept them alive during the Taini Jamison series. Kelly Jackson was an individual standout during the series as her defensive pressure saw her finish with 15 gains, including several blocked shots. She combined well with both Karin Burger and Pulse teammate Parris Mason who, despite debuting this series, was tenacious and generated intercepts in all three tests…
Grace Nweke was in fine form in the shooting end, scoring 140 goals from 158 attempts, including 16 offensive rebounds. Nweke’s ability to rebound so many of her missed shots is crucial for New Zealand, but could also be an opportunity for the Australians – if they can box her out of position and compete against her outstanding athleticism. While the Diamonds have height in their defensive end that England lacked, Nweke’s individual brilliance could be kryptonite for Australia’s man-on-man defence. Likewise captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio, who’s work rate outside the circle and…
Kelly Jackson was outstanding in the Taini Jamison series, and her reach could trouble the Australians. Image May Bailey l Clusterpix
WEAKNESSES
Diamonds
Winning in New Zealand has proved to be incredibly difficult for the Diamonds in recent years, and is one of the few challenges left for coach Stacey Marinkovich to conquer. Since she took over as coach, Australia has won just one of eight matches played there. The Silver Ferns lift considerably when playing Australia at home, so this is a real problem for the Diamonds to overcome.
The Diamonds have yet to tinker much with their combinations ahead of the 2027 World Cup, and it’s an area that should be explored with Marinkovich hoping to find a way to win across the ditch, while also using the depth of her squad. Chief among these will be her shooting options outside the Garbin/Austin combination. World Cup star Cara Koenen struggled for accuracy against the Roses, and received limited court time as she spent most of that recent campaign on the bench. And while Austin has gone from strength to strength to become one…
Austin has been rattled in the past by the height and defensive pressure of Kelly Jackson, so who will likely slot in if she needs to be subbed? Do Dwyer or Horjus have the composure to stand up against the Fern’s tall defensive line? Will Koenen look to seize an opportunity at goal attack for game time?
Two further work-ons for the Diamonds will be their ability to generate gains, and their possession game. Against the Roses, the Diamonds could only come up with six gains in the match they dropped, while bumping that level up to 13 and 10 in tests one and three respectively. With Nweke such a strong target under the post, some of the heavy lifting will need to be done outside the circle by the shooters and midcourt as they look to slow ball speed and provide opportunities for their defenders.
Australia will also be looking to improve team statistics including centre pass, gain and turnover conversion rates. In the series against the Roses, these numbers fluctuated significantly.
Silver Ferns
New Zealand has also struggled to win away from home in recent years, and last tasted success in Australia in 2019 when Laura Langman was captain. Noeline Taurua has an identical Constellation Cup record to Stacey Marinkovich away from home (one win and seven losses) and she will be looking to improve on that in this series.
An area of concern for the Silver Ferns during the Taini Jamison series was inconsistency through the midcourt and their ability to transition the ball out of defence. The majority of the Ferns’ turnovers were generated in that middle third because they had difficulty penetrating the Roses zone defence; a shock as this is their traditional style of play. Kimiora Poi, Whitney Souness and Maddy Gordon struggled to provide clear…
The shooting circle for the Fern’s needs some long-term direction. While Grace Nweke is exceptional, given her upcoming unavailability in 2025, and history of injuries, New Zealand do need to invest court time in Amelia Walmsley under the post. Walsmely received zero minutes during the 2024 Quad Series in January and the Taini Jamison series despite seeing significant development domestically this season. However, she could be developed as a genuine option as a similar tall target that provides better movement, a wider shooting range and better connections with…
But perhaps the Silver Ferns’ biggest challenge is the goal attack position. Captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio has been a superstar over the years, but has no clear successor, with three primarily goal shooters named alongside her. With Nweke absent for 2025 and Ekenasio heading into her 12th year in the Ferns environment, consistency is needed to
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