What is likely to be an emotional Netball World Cup send-off for retiring defender Julie Corletto will be the sixth Australia-New Zealand final from the seven played. It is a long and familiar rivalry, but not a tired one. 
The top-seeded Diamonds defeated Jamaica 67-56 after the second-ranked Silver Ferns had beaten England 50-39 in the first semi-final. The gold medal decider will be a rematch of the pool game New Zealand won 52-47 to change the mood of the tournament, but not the finals destination of the habitual top two.
"It's anyone's game, really," Ferns veteran Laura Langman said of the latest trans-Tasman clash. "The Aussies will certainly be fired up. We poked them in round three, and now we need to be able to handle their bite."
Diamonds goal attack Natalie Medhurst admitted the loss had galvanised a team that had won their 21 previous matches, but that much had changed in the seven days since. "We knew it wasn't the end of us, and probably everyone else out there likes to pretend that it was, but for us it's probably what we need to really fire us up and really look at where we were and what we still needed to improve on."
With Caitlin Bassett scoring 49 goals from 52 attempts, Australia's only minor lapse in a polished display against Jamaica came in a third quarter lost 16-14. Corletto, playing her third and last World Cup, was recalled into a predictable starting seven after being rested from the previous two games, while Sharni Layton replaced captain Laura Geitz at goal keeper for the last quarter.
"I've been really impressed with how we've built with each game, and the connections are definitely now pretty well established," Geitz said. "I think it was our best performance to date, and hopefully we save our best for last tomorrow."
Coach Lisa Alexander said plenty of training time had been devoted to dealing with New Zealand's midcourt zone, and called for an exceptional defensive effort in what will be the Diamonds' third game in 48 hours. "We have to have that level of urgency and intensity in our attitudes and I think a World Cup final will bring that.
"We're very confident. We're not over-confident. We know the Silver Ferns have really improved ... but we've got to make we sustain our performance for the 60 minutes - or extra, if that's the way it's going to go - and we've got to be mentally tough, and we've got to take all of the opportunities that come our way and score."
Australia have won or shared 10 of the 14 World Cups played, including the past two; New Zealand have won or tied for the other four. This will be their fifth consecutive final, before a crowd expected to exceed Saturday's world record of 16,244.