Diamonds edge Ferns in Auckland netball

Australia have held onto a slender fourth-quarter lead to edge out New Zealand 57-54 in their opening Constellation Cup netball Test in Auckland.

Smarting from last month's 10-goal Quad Series trans-Tasman Test loss, the Diamonds on Thursday produced the goods in the first and last quarters.

Both sides conceded more than 70 penalties in what was a niggly trans-Tasman tussle, with Australia smarting from their last-up Quad Series loss to the Ferns.

Having struggled to overcome Kiwi tall timber Kelly Jury in that 57-47 Invercargill loss, skipper Caitlin Bassett played less frequently off the post on Thursday, with goal-attacks Susan Pettitt and Stephanie Wood picking up the slack.

Pettitt and Wood scored a combined 18 goals, while goal-shoot Bassett nabbed an unusually low 39 goals by her lofty standards.

It paid off as the Diamonds earned their crucial early lead and condemned Jury to the bench before half-time.

The feisty Temalisi Fakahokotau entered the fray at goal-keep and did well to quell Bassett, but her shooting circle couldn't find a way back in.

It left Silver Ferns boss Janine Southby ruing her side's carelessness.

Despite a spirited fourth-quarter comeback that dragged them to within one goal of the Diamonds, New Zealand struggled to land telling blows and gave up a four-goal first-quarter deficit.

That head start ultimately proved too difficult to peg back.

Southby said her troops were guilty of conceding too many simple turnovers on attack - 25 in total - and panicking under pressure.

Despite the close scoreline, she felt the Ferns had plenty to improve upon heading into Sunday's second Test in Christchurch.

"We had chances to push it back right throughout the match and, again, just guilty of some soft turnovers in critical moments," Southby said.

"We had an opportunity to take it back to two and (then) one with our centre pass, and again it was a soft turnover - it's stuff we shouldn't be doing.

"I'm just really disappointed, it's not good enough."

Enjoying all the final-quarter running and aided by Maria Tutaia's long bombs, the Silver Ferns got the score back to 53-52 - yet a communication breakdown between Tutaia and Bailey Mes gave Wood the chance to kill off the Test.

She duly guided the ball home.

"I know we're all going to go away and have a look at it, and we know we can be better and know we should be," Southby said.

"We've got to recover quickly, have a thorough debrief and get back to work."