Australia secured netball's Constellation Cup, beating a gutsy Silver Ferns 49-45 on Thursday in the fourth and final Test in Invercargill.
The Diamonds were all but assured of retaining the trophy for the sixth time in seven years, after winning the first and third Tests by 12-goal margins.
But the Kiwis rediscovered some of the fighting spirit which won them the second Test 53-51, closing to within two with a late turnover and less than a minute remaining.
They couldn't maintain the run to the final whistle, leaving coach Janine Southby regretting lost chances..
"I felt we had opportunities, and we could have actually taken it.
"Unfortunately, we just didn't have the connections on attack and the confidence to let the ball go forward at times, and that really hurt us."
After bossing the midcourt in their 62-50 third Test win, the Australians were forced to work much harder.
Retiring Diamonds captain Clare McMeniman, who partnered goal keeper Sharni Layton in the Australian circle, said the relatively low-scoring match was testament to strong defence from both teams.
"It was a very defensive game at both ends of the court and there were passages where the ball was coming up and back with no goals scored," she said.
"The defensive pressure the Silver Ferns put on tonight was pretty phenomenal. They were having a fly at the ball, confusing space, and they were doing a great job."
But for much of the first quarter, it looked as though the Diamonds were going to pick up where they left off in Auckland.
Layton and McMeniman shut down the circle, and pressure outside from Gabi Simpson and Kim Ravaillion forced a disjointed feed into Silver Ferns shooters Bailey Mes and Te Paea Selby-Rickit.
The Kiwis battled to stay in touch as Caitlin Bassett and Gretel Tippett shot 100 per cent to give the Australians a 13-9 lead after 15 minutes.
A much tighter Silver Ferns through-court defence slowed down the Diamonds' quick feed into Bassett in the second quarter, goal keeper Anna Harrison particularly effective in generating turnover ball with a series of deflections.
However, the introduction of 104-cap veteran Maria Tutaia for Selby-Rickit kickstarted something of a renaissance for the Kiwis, who reduced the Australian lead to 22-19 at halftime.
The Diamonds also made a switch at goal attack midway through the second quarter, but Natalie Medhurst proved ineffective, and Gretel Tippett returned for the third spell.
Bassett again shouldered the bulk of the shooting duties, bagging 42 from 46, with Tippett contributing seven from 10.
