Australia have won the netball World Cup final after beating the Silver Ferns 58-55 in Sydney tonight.
The Diamonds took out the world title in Sydney today on the back of a rampant 16-7 opening quarter, which, despite winning the final three quarters, the Ferns could not overcome.
Since finals were introduced to the World Cup format in 1991, New Zealand and Australia have featured in six of the seven title deciders. The Ferns have won on just one of those occasions - 2003.
The prevailing story of World Cup finals has been that of Australia triumphing in tight encounters, with the largest winning margin in those finals being just four goals. And it was no different today as the Diamonds, who at one stage led by 11-goals, overcame spirited late charge from the Ferns to claim a 58-55 win and a 11th world title.
Swept along by the relentless positivity, enthusiasm and confidence in the New Zealand camp, you got the sense that perhaps this year could be different. But it was not to be.
The Ferns had the better of Australia in the last three quarters, but they could not claw back enough to overcome the rampant start of the Diamonds.
The Ferns had to deal with the consequences of "poking the bear" earlier in the tournament, after awakening the Australians to the threat the Kiwis posed with a brilliant 52-47 win in pool play.
That win saw the Ferns take the "home" bench for the final - something the Diamonds took personally with the tournament being staged on their home turf.
With a new-look attack line and bold new game plan, New Zealand caught the Diamonds off-guard last Sunday. The element of surprise was lost today and so was the Ferns' edge.
The Ferns made a jittery start as the Diamonds notably ramped up their defensive intensity from the last time the two sides met, particularly in the New Zealand shooting circle, with Bailey Mes and Maria Tutaia barely able to move under the close attention of Julie Corletto and Laura Geitz.
Outgunned in the rebounding stakes by Mes last weekend, Geitz clearly felt she had a point to prove under the goal, employing some cynical tactics to bump and shove the young shooter out of the way.
A couple of spilt balls from a nervous Grace Rasmussen in the opening stages also didn't help matters, as the Ferns attack that had been so fearless on attack all week suddenly went back into their shells.
With Australia having worked all week at training on strategies to break down the zone, they were much more effective at moving the ball through the court and therefore converting all their turnover ball.
By the first break Australia led 16-7, making it a long road back for New Zealand from there.
The Ferns attack settled in the second quarter, but with the accurate Australians giving up little in the way in turnovers, New Zealand couldn't make up much ground before halftime, trailing 30-22 at the long break.
New Zealand continued to build their way into the match in third period, with the shooting circle coming alive. Tutaia, kept quiet for much of the opening half, began banging them in from all over the circle with apparent ease. Battered all day, Mes was a tower of strength under the goal, mopping up when the shots didn't drop. With two minutes left in the spell the Ferns closed to within four goals, to set the Kiwi fans in the crowd alight.
But a late turnover to Corletto, playing in her final international match got the margin back out to six goals.
Throwing caution to the wind, the Ferns gave it a decent nudge of claiming a come from behind victory, but could only get as close as three goals.
In the bronze medal match, England ended a difficult campaign on a high, demolishing Jamaica 66-44.
