Silver Fern Grace Nweke shoots for goal during the 2023 Constellation Cup. Photo: AAP / www.photosport.nz
An inventive version of a series decider has been added to the Constellation Cup between the Silver Ferns and Australia if the series is tied two games apiece.
The first two tests are being played in New Zealand, starting on Sunday night in Wellington, before the return leg in Australia.
Up until now, if both countries won two games each, the winner of the series was determined by goal aggregate.
For the past two years the series has finished 2-all but Australia has been declared the winner because they scored more goals than New Zealand across the series.
But should the same thing happen at the end of the fourth test (including extra time), Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand have devised a way to find a winner.
Rather than play a fifth test, the teams will take a 12-minute break after the conclusion of the fourth game, and series decider time will be played to decide the outright winner.
Think of it as a mini-game. A toss for the next centre pass will be taken, and scores will return to zero.
Play will consist of two seven-minute halves, with a half-time interval of four minutes, and teams will be able to make substitutions just as they are in regular game time.
Whichever team is leading at the end of series decider time will be declared the winner of the series and the Constellation Cup trophy.
If the scores are tied at the end of series decider time, the match will move into a period of series decider additional time where play will continue until one team gets a two-goal lead.
Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio said the new format, which had been given the okay by World Netball, was a great development.
"It's about time, there's been so many series where we've been two apiece and it just feels like it hasn't really gone anywhere. It's not good for us it's not exciting for the game, people don't want to see that," Ekenasio said.
"We're finally getting to a stage where we will figure out who's actually going to be the clear winner. I think it's awesome for the game to go in that kind of space because it's exciting, it's a good product to watch and that's what we want."
The first test starts at 7.30pm on Sunday in Wellington.
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