Silver Ferns coach Wai Taumaunu is lamenting her side's failure to string consistent performances together, following their 47-45 defeat to Australia on Thursday night.

As we have come to expect in these clashes, the Silver Ferns and Australian Diamonds played out another thriller, that you knew would go down to the wire.

Get ready for part two of the Laura and Maria show.

We just might be witnessing some Advanced Australian Fear, a netballing rarity down the years.

She's already "world famous" in Christchurch - now Anna Thompson has the chance to finally make her mark on the national netball landscape.

The Silver Ferns have struck the first blow in the Constellation Cup, beating the Australian Diamonds 55-51 at the Velodrome in Invercargill tonight.

The contest between the Silver Ferns and Australian Diamonds has become the greatest rivalry in transtasman sport - and probably one of the closest on the planet - and there are no signs of that changing in the near future.

Their partnership has been one of the most celebrated in Silver Ferns history but new assistant coach Vicki Wilson believes she can take Irene van Dyk and Maria Tutaia to new heights.

Stress in the newly established netball zones is mounting as the sport suffers major growing pains after Netball New Zealand's radical overhaul last year.

Say it quietly, as Netball New Zealand most certainly will, but new Silver Ferns midcourter Courtney Tairi is the netball version of James Tamou or Quade Cooper.

Grace Rasmussen has emerged as a major target of the Magic - and they appear to have sealed the signature of another Silver Fern, as their 2014 squad finally comes together.

The future of several top-name Silver Ferns is expected to be revealed this week as transtasman league franchises scramble to get their line-ups in place.

Twelve months ago Courtney Tairi and Katarina Cooper were taking their first painful steps along the long road to rehabilitation after suffering serious knee injuries.

Tipped for stardom as a teenager, Otaki's Katarina Cooper all but disappeared from the netballing landscape eight years ago.

Central Pulse skipper Katrina Grant says she will be back for another season with the Wellington team.

The Silver Ferns selectors will be looking closely at some of the under-21 shooters in camp next week as they rebuild depth in their shooting end.

Given her age, Irene van Dyk's homecoming switch to the Pulse should really be a last stand.

The Magic appear no closer to announcing any big name signings for the 2014 transtasman league season following the high-profile departures of Laura Langman and Irene van Dyk.