Australian netball legend Cath Cox says the Diamonds' second-half collapses against the Silver Ferns are "alarming" after the Game 3 defeat in the Constellation Cup.
Stacey Marinkovich's squad appeared to have the game in their grasp as they held a five-goal lead at the main break before New Zealand stormed to a 55-49 win.
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The match followed a similar sequence to Game 2, with Australia taking an early lead, before New Zealand came to life in the second half, and Cox suggested that the Diamonds' quarantine could be catching up to them in the back half of games.
"A little alarming for the Diamonds that it was a carbon copy of Game 2," she said on Nine's coverage.
"That would have been front of mind and all the discussion would have been about having to push through in that second half when it really mattered. They lost the second half by 11, so there is a lot to look at from that game.
"It feels to me like it's match fitness because they're so good in that first half. To me, it's probably looking at some time in quarantine and not having match practice before the game.
However, Australian captain for Game 3, Liz Watson, downplayed the impact of quarantine on the team's legs after the defeat.
" We do have a big squad and there's 18 of us here so it's just our errors and basic things," she said.
"New Zealand did a great job, they put us under pressure and knew what we didn't like to play against, which is that fast movement, and they turned it around."
The Silver Ferns were sparked by the likes of Kimiora Poi coming off the bench in the second half, and Cox urged Marinkovich to use more of her squad in the final match.
"Interesting to hear her say that they've got a squad of 18, but that squad of 18 hasn't been used," she said.
"They've only got 12 and of the 12 only the 11 players have actually been played. That may be something they need to look at, maybe making some changes for that next game."
The Diamonds and Silver Ferns will meet in the final match of the 2021 Constellation Cup on Sunday, with the coverage getting underway on Nine at 1pm AEDT.
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