The third quarter is often referred to as the "championship quarter".

Largely because many games are defined by the team that stands up during that 15-minute period.

And, in the wake of the largest crisis that has rocked the sport throughout its history, the Diamonds produced an unbelievable performance in the championship quarter of game four in the Constellation Cup series to seal a 57-53 victory and steal the trophy back from New Zealand.

Both teams claimed two matches on their respective home soils, seeing the Diamonds claim their 10th trans-Tasman title based on goal difference.

After starting the series 2-0 down, the team lifted in Melbourne on Wednesday to win by 15 goals, buoyed by a loud Australian crowd for the first time in more than 1,000 days.

With such a large winning margin, all the Diamonds needed to do was finish on top in the final match on the Gold Coast, which sounds easy enough, but again they started on the back foot.

Each side was unchanged from their mid-week line-ups and from the get-go it looked like Silver Ferns tactical whiz Noeline Taurua had identified some key areas for her team to flip the script.

Kelly Jury and Phoenix Karaka upped their defensive pressure on goal shooter Sophie Garbin (36/39), restricting her movement inside the circle and pigeonholing her right under the post.

This led to a number of turnovers from the Aussies, as they tried to work the ball around and force an inroad to Garbin, but instead fell into the trap set by the opposition's zone defence.

For much of the first half, this trademark kiwi play – floating off the body, setting up boxes and creating the illusion of space – got the upper hand and prevented the Diamonds from punching up through the middle of the court in attack.

With Garbin a tricky option, the pressure mounted on experienced goal attack Steph Wood (21/27) to shoulder the load, but even she wasn't immune to the long limbs of Jury, whose strong hold saw Wood miss a couple of shots and even get called for a held ball.

By half-time, Australia trailed by five goals, with the gain stat well in New Zealand's favour (7-2).

But a key change from Australian head coach Stacey Marinkovich towards the end of the second quarter was yet to hit its stride.

Jamie-Lee Price had been shifted from wing defence to centre to provide a more direct route to the post, while Amy Parmenter was injected off the bench and handed the WD bib.

Together, the Giants duo took charge of the midcourt, as Price's clever feeding found Garbin with ease, boosting her confidence and freeing Liz Watson to go hunting for vital possession.

Parmenter also did a fine job tagging kiwi wing attack Maddy Gordon, limiting her impact and getting inside her head to draw an offensive contact at one point.