NZ stun Diamonds in Perth to claim Constellation Cup - ESPN

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich is urging her team to stay galvanised in the wake of Australia's stunning 61-43 loss to New Zealand at RAC Arena.

NZ are the new Constellation Cup champions after their win in Perth on Sunday in front of 13,048 fans gave them a 3-0 lead in the four-match series.

The Silver Ferns beat Australia 64-50 and 63-52 in NZ, but the Diamonds showed more fight early in Sunday's match.

Scores were level approaching half-time before a 13-4 run by NZ to start the third quarter tore the game away from the home side.

Star shooter Grace Nweke proved near unstoppable on enemy territory, nailing 47 goals from 50 attempts to help secure victory.

New Zealand's win means they hold the Constellation Cup for the first time since 2021.

The size of the win on Australian soil is set to send shudders through the Diamonds' camp ahead of Wednesday's final match in Melbourne.

Marinkovich lost the Constellation Cup 3-1 in 2021, and she's confident she can again help the team bounce back from a disappointing campaign.

"We need to stay galvanised," Marinkovich said.

"We need to make sure that we have the conversations, but we have another game to play.

"When things don't necessarily go in direction in terms of win-loss, it's actually making sure that you get as much information so that you get your build right towards your marquee events.

"I think we're a bit mentally fatigued at the moment, so there's things within the program that we can freshen up.

"And also the players need to be able to take accountability.

"We pride ourselves on our honesty and having those conversations and that's what we'll need to do.

"So as challenging as it is to see those score lines, there's a lot of things that we've been able to take from it that are really going to shape the direction of how we need to train, the strategies that we need to put in place, and the way in which we refresh."

Nweke was the star for the tourists, with Ameliaranne Ekenasio (14 goals from 17 attempts) a handy sidekick.

Sophie Garbin finished with 26 goals from 28 attempts for Australia, while Sophie Dwyer added 14 from 20.

The Diamonds registered just two intercepts across the first two games of the series, but Jamie-Lee Price had two to her name in the first quarter alone on Sunday.

It was neck-and-neck in the second quarter until a late Diamonds turnover gave New Zealand a 28-26 edge at half-time.

The first half battle between Diamonds goalkeeper Courtney Bruce and Nweke made for intriguing viewing.

Bruce is four centimetres shorter than the 193cm Nweke, but did her best to physically impose herself on the contest at every opportunity.

Nweke scored 19 from 19 attempts in the first half, but was made to work hard for each of her chances.

Rudi Ellis was brought on just before half-time to give Bruce a breather, and was kept on for the third quarter.

Ellis did her best to contain Nweke, but turnovers further up the court were the Diamonds' undoing.

Sunday's game was effectively over with five minutes remaining in the third quarter when NZ opened up a 41-30 lead.

The introduction of home-town hero Sunday Aryang sparked a big cheer, and she managed to snag an early intercept.

But with NZ entering the final quarter with a 46-35 lead, it simply proved too much for Australia to overturn.