Live: Diamonds fall short against Silver Ferns in Constellation Cup opener

Okay, we're going to wrap the blog for now. Thank you for tuning in! More analysis on Game 1 will be added above once we collect our thoughts.

We'll be back to blog the second Test in Christchurch on Wednesday night so be sure to check that out for your mid-week fix of netty! Catch you then.

It's not the result she wanted, especially finishing on the bench, but Aussie goal keeper Courtney Bruce reflected on reaching the milestone with Sky Sport. It is a huge deal, as only seven players have done it before throughout history.

"It's such a credit to the person I am and the little girl that dreamed of playing for the Diamonds. To do it one time is the best so getting to do it 100 times is absolutely incredible."

Sharing the occasion with debutant Jessie Grenvold was fun.

"Jessie is great, she's really confident, she's such an exciting young talent. I think she's going to do incredible things. It's funny, we had Selina Gilsenan in the other night and she said when she played her first Test, Liz was playing her 100th so Jessie has been calling me her Liz Ellis. Excited to see her out there."

By the end of the game the Diamonds were catching the umpire's eye a lot more than New Zealand. The Aussies finished with 61 total penalies and again, part of that was down to them being in chase mode the entire 60 minutes. But it was also poor discipline in defence. Getting three feet before you put your hand up is an easy fix they can work on for the next game. Considering how many mistakes the Diamonds made in attack their general play turnover stat wasn't too different suprisingly to the winning side. They just need to make their own centre pass count.

And you can see that rings true here with their centre pass to goal rate only at 68 per cent. At least they scored off their gains but the coaches and defenders will really have to put their heads together and come up with some better ideas to shut down Nweke and win ball back. A 12-6 gain stat in favour of the Kiwis shows how dominant they were defensively and how powerless the Aussies were in comparison. In the shooting department, the Diamonds did recover once Sophie Garbin made her way on. She scored 20 of her 21 attempts across 30 minutes and helped improve the team's overall accuracy to 82 per cent by the end of the match. This was her 50th Test match and she started on the bench. Maybe she's won Marinkovich over enough to start Game 2?

A penalty shot for the Silver Ferns sees them out by six goals at the final whistle. That's their 11th consecutive victory against the Diamonds on home soil.

The Diamonds will be proud of the way they fought back to win the fourth quarter 17-11. Especially with goal aggregate back to determine the winner of this series. That could make all the difference at the end of game four in who lifts the trophy.

But make no mistake, this was an absolute spanking for much of the match. The Australian coaching staff will really need to go back to the drawing board. Whether Kate Moloney is back and fit to play might help the decision making. But if she isn't they'll have to ask some serious questions about captain Watson. Has she done enough to hold onto her starting spot? Probably not based on this game alone. Price deserves to start at centre in our opinion. The Kiwis were so unbelievably fit and fast and Australia needs midcourters that can match that pace.

There also seems to be a reluctance from the Diamonds staff to shift Horjus into goal attack. During the Super Netball season what makes her so lethal as a WA / GA swing is when she has the opportunity to push into the circle in the back half of games. Maybe Marinkovich worrie about her height against the long-limbed Silver Ferns defenders? But she manages to hold her own just fine in the domestic competition. At 172cm tall she is 12cm shorter than captain Burger and 20cm shorter than Jackson. It is an option they haven't properly explored yet and Horjus is a game winner.

Lastly, Donnell Wallam hasn't had a proper run for the Diamonds in years. She has the X-factor and brings something different than Garbin and Koenen. Could her extra height (193cm) and unpredictability be the difference Australia needs?

Although that was the closest quarter yet, with the Kiwis winning the third quarter 13-11. The game is feeling very out of reach for Australia. Having trialled every single player possible on court, there hasn't been an obvious answer. Although the Diamonds were able to get on a little run to start the period it wasn't long before the relentless pressure of the New Zealand defence started to once again pick off ball. Whether the changes Marinkovich has made have been the right ones in each specific moment is something we'll take a look at the end of the game. Their tactics have not been up to scratch. Watch this final quarter if you dare, Diamonds fans!

Can we mount a comeback? More changes have happened in the break to Australia's line-up. Sophie Garbin gets her first minutes at goal shooter, while Price finally does move into centre sending the Aussie captain to the bench. They're making a difference already as the Diamonds score three goals in a row to begin the third quarter.

Meanwhile, NZ have also tinkered with their team. They're trialling some new options while they have such a big hold on the game. Kate Heffernan rolls into centre, where we've seen her dominate throughout the Super Netball season for the Adelaide Thunderbirds. Reuelu-Buchanan is now in WD. Selby-Rickit plays her first match for the Silver Ferns in years as she dons the GA bib.

SCORE: New Zealand leads 32-25