The Silver Ferns are rallying their troops for the second match of the Constellation Cup series, after losing opening game to Australia at Melbourne.
New Zealand were down by nine goals at halftime, but a strong third quarter saw them bring the game back to six. The Diamonds were too good in the final 15 minutes and won 50-40.
"Whether it’s one or 100, it doesn’t make a difference, you either win or lose," explained coach Dame Noeline Taurua, who admis she isn’t happy with the 10 goal margin, but believes there have been improvements.
"Last time we were here, we got spanked," she said. "There were moments maybe in that last quarter, where we were heading around 12 [goals behind].
"Not necessarily am I happy with a 10, but once again, we'll take the licking and get ourselves ready for game two."
Last time, they played at Melbourne, the NZ women lost by 15 goals.
Despite reducing that margin, captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio believes they could still have closed the gap even more.
"I think we have heaps more to give, which is not a great feeling for now," she said. "I'm feeling like we didn't get it all out on court."
The Ferns had more ball possession than the Diamonds, with 53 percent, but the Australian defensive made all the difference. The green-and-yellow side managed 19 deflections and eight intercepts.
"It's a final connection pass or that piece that's missing," believed Ekenasio. "We just need to be bigger in those moments and be more patient with the ball."
On the brighter side, teenager Amelia Walmsley logged her third game in the black dress and her first-ever outing against the world champions.
"Poor 19-year-old," Taurua laughed. "It’s a great starting point for her and there are areas we know she can work on, but we'll keep chipping away."
Despite taking a while to find her feet in the circle, Ekenasio is excited to see what else Walmsley can bring.
"She knows what she's up for now, so I'm looking forward to see what she can do in game two."
The secone encounter is scheduled for Sunday evening at Brisbane, before the series heads across the Tasman to Invercargill and Auckland.
Join Newshub at 9:30pm Sunday for live updates of the Silver Ferns v Australia Constellation Cup tes
