The Silver Ferns are preparing for what could be a decisive third test against Australia at Melbourne on Wednesday night.
Up 2-0 in the series, after wins at Auckland and Tauranga, victory would guarantee the trophy remains in New Zealand for another year.
Two wins could be enough, but the New Zealanders would clearly prefer to avoid a scenario where points aggregate determines the series winner.
Coach Dame Noeline Taurua was proud of her team's performance in the second test, but wants to see a more cohesive effort against the Diamonds in front of a raucous away crowd of almost 10,000 fans at John McCain Arena.
The Ferns defence created a slew of turnovers at Tauranga, but often squandered that hard-won possession, without making their opponents pay for their mistakes.
"We probably weren't quite as clinical as we would've wanted to," said Dame Noeline. "The promising thing out of that is we were able to push it through and obviously get out of that with a win, which is really pleasing.
"Our whole motto is looking to be better, so if we can do that on court, that'd be fantastic."
While winning the Constellation Cup remains their main goal, Taurua is also keen to build the depth in the squad, with one eye on next year's World Cup.
The result is the dual-squad approach to the series that sees midcourters Maddy Gordon and Kimiora Poi, and defender Elle Temu join the team for their tilt across the Tasman.
Among the three remaining in New Zealand is breakout star Peta Toeava, who - along with Mystics teammates Grace Nweke and defender Phoenix Karaka - has been one of the Silver Ferns' most valuable players.
But Dame Noeline has no regrets about her decision to leave Toeava in New Zealand, insisting the new trio have already injected a fresh dose of enthusiasm to her squad, which has only been able to fit in one training session in their short turnaround from Sunday night.
Gordon and Poi are both expected to start the third test to press their claims for a regular spot, as Toeava has.
"The good thing is we've had camp and it's been part of the planning, where we knew it was a short turnaround, hence them coming into camp with the whole team," she explained. "We've probably minimised the risk around that.
"There won't be a teething, but we've just got to transition and ease them into the environment, and not expect too much.
"So far so good. I think they've come in really rip-roaring, full of energy and really looking forward to getting out on court."
After watching on from afar through the first two tests, Temu is itching to make a contribution on the court across the ditch.
"I did feel a bit like 'I want to be out there', but now that I'm here, it's awesome to be a part of it," said the Northern Stars defender.
"They did really well and I could see the structures they were playing, which made me feel a bit more comfortable, because I knew what they were doing.
"If the opportunity comes up, I'll be really excited. Obviously, they're a quality team, and the crowd is going to be next level and something I haven't experienced, so having that as well will be awesome."
Join us at 9:30pm Wednesday for live updates of the third Silver Ferns v Australia Constellation Cup clash.
