It was a performance Waimarama Taumaunu has waited four years to see.
A confident, controlled and thoroughly dominant Silver Ferns outfit last night ran roughshod all over Australia in the final test of the Constellation Cup to send their retiring coach, and likely a host of senior players, out on a high.
The 58-47 victory in Perth was the Ferns' biggest win over their transtasman rivals since 2010, and arguably their strongest showing during Taumaunu's tenure. But the dream finish was very nearly elevated to a miraculous finish, with the Ferns coming within a whisker of claiming an unlikely series victory.
With the Ferns trailing the series 2-1 heading into the final test in Perth and a long way behind in goal differential, the trophy was considered as good as locked away in Australia's trophy cabinet for another year. The Ferns needed to win by 14 goals last night to claim the Constellation Cup for the first time since 2012 - almost an impossible ask against the world and Commonwealth Games champions.
But in the emotion charged setting of what was not only Taumaunu's final match, but also likely several veterans of the team including Casey Kopua, Leana de Bruin and Jodi Brown, 14 goals somehow became a realistic target late in the third quarter.
Leading by nine heading into the final turn, a three-goal run at the start of the quarter saw the Ferns dance around the magic number for the remainder of the match. But in the frantic final minutes the shots didn't sink and the passes didn't stick and Australia were able to peg back a couple of goals to narrowly avoid an embarrassing finish to their year.
Initially disappointment registered on the faces of the Ferns when the final whistle sounded. They had come so close to pulling off the miracle result. But soon the enormity of what they had achieved dawned on them, and the tears flowed. Brown, who was named player of the match on the back of a masterful display in the goal attack bib, looked particularly emotional, perhaps a signifier of her retirement plans.
For Brown and those that will follow her out the door at the end of the year, while they didn't claim the silverware last night, what they did take away was the immeasurable satisfaction from producing a complete performance they can be proud of.
And, unlike last weekend's 50-47 win in Melbourne, they did it against a full-strength Australian outfit.
After being upstaged in the third test, Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander wasn't taking any chances for their final hit-out of the year, recalling captain and star defender Laura Geitz from holiday to ensure the team finished the job. Supershooter Caitlin Bassett and experienced midcourter Renae Ingles also returned to the line-up after the injury clouds parted on the eve of the test.
But while the experience returned to the group, the Diamonds' composure and cohesive attacking play did not. Instead it was the Ferns' attack that fired in front of the record crowd in Perth, with the work of Brown a particular highlight.
Brown displayed the full array of tricks she has compiled over her 61 tests, working her way into good shooting position through clever passes and playing the angles well.
Having looked the more confident and enterprising side in the first half, the Ferns probably would have been disappointed to head into the break with the scores level at 27-all. But they stuck to their gameplan in the third quarter and the rewards soon came.
The Diamonds unravelled in the third period, stacking error upon error as the pressure of the New Zealand through court defence took its toll, with Laura Langman and Kayla Cullen doing an impressive job of disrupting the homeside's midcourt connections. By the final turn the Ferns had a commanding lead of nine goals, and that tilt at the Constellation Cup crown wasn't looking so pie in the sky after all.
