Australia has kept alive their dream of winning back the Netball World Cup, sneaking just three goals past a tough Jamaican defence to clinch the semi-final, 57-54.
Vice-captain Steph Wood – the most experienced shooter in the team, after reaching 50 caps earlier this tournament – took her leadership role to another level, as she guided the Diamonds through several rough patches and shouldered the shooting load at goal attack (29 goals at 91 per cent).
Shamera Sterling and Jodi-Ann Ward linked up in Jamaica's defensive circle to restrict Wood's shooting partner Cara Koenen (28 goals at 93 per cent) in the first half of the match, sandwiching her as the feeds came in and riding the body to increase Australia's hesitancy sending the ball in.
The other thing the Sunshine Girls did well in those opening 30 minutes, was to clog the top of the circle, forcing Diamonds midcourters Liz Watson and Paige Hadley wide into the pockets, unable to get to the top of the circle to help create the triangles so essential to the Australian attack.
In the Super Netball league, Latanya Wilson has got the better of Watson this season and it was clear these two had 'unfinished business' as they went hammer and tong in the midcourt and hit the deck multiple times.
On this occasion, Watson won the battle, finishing the match with a whopping 50 feeds.
Meanwhile, at the back of the court, goal keeper Courtney Bruce (four gains) played one of the most disciplined matches of her career, as she toiled hard against West Coast Fever teammate Jhaniele Fowler and eventually reaped the rewards.
Possession was hard to come by in the first two quarters, as the Jamaicans found their 198cm target with ease. Fowler, to her credit, was also showcasing the impressive movement she has added to her game in recent years.
The five-time Super Netball MVP has become so much more than just a tall, stand and shoot kind of player in the twilight of her career, and her incredible athleticism was at full force in this semi-final.
Driving along the baseline, cutting up the circle and reining in the high ball on the tips of her fingers, the Sunshine Girls captain wowed the crowd with her huge vertical leap.
The umpires were relentless in their attempt to control the physicality of the game (118 penalties in total – Jamaica 62, Australia 56) particularly in the beginning, but it was consistent with both sides copping just as much whistle, forcing the players to adjust.
The score was tied at the first break (14-14) and again at half-time (29-29), as the 14 players on court barely gave each other an inch and both sides were reluctant to make changes.
Substitutions did eventually come through in the third quarter, where the most notable switch was at centre as the Diamonds replaced Paige Hadley for Jamie-Lee Price; seeking a teeny bit more height and a strong body to compete in the midcourt.
Although Price's feed was hesitant to begin with, her confidence to send the ball in fast grew the longer she was on court, and she was able to hit the top of the circle with pace.
The Diamonds had a clever game-plan regarding their placement of the ball, and Price was able to match Watson in that area, sending in short, chippy passes on the edge of the circle to Wood – sometimes even dropping it right at her feet – in an effort to keep the Jamaicans on their back.
Almost every time the Sunshine Girls tried to force their way into this space and contest possession they were pulled for contact, forced to stand out of play and rendering them useless in the next phase of the push towards the post.
Digging deep in these 15 minutes, the Diamonds were able to capitalise on Bruce's efforts in defence to force a swing in momentum and take the biggest lead of the game with six goals.
This didn't last long, as Jamaica worked overtime on rebounds, guarding the space under the post and converting any ball they could get their hands on to bring the score back within two goals at three-quarter time (42-40).
As Jamaica surged back into contention, Australian head coach Stacey Marinkovich made a couple of key changes heading to that final break, giving Sarah Klau (GD) and Sunday Aryang (WD) an opportunity to enter the game.
Their impact was short-lived, and Marinkovich was forced to swap them back for Jo Weston and Ash Brazill after just 11 minutes, but that time on the bench made all the difference for this pair.
With refreshed energy and purpose, Weston and Brazill's composure was invaluable in the final stages of the game, especially with the score levelled and just five minutes on the clock.
Working hard out in front, they forced Jamaica to send in a wayward feed and Bruce sealed her third player-of-the-match status with an intercept that was converted and turned into a two-goal lead after the Diamonds next centre pass.
By now, the pressure was squarely on Jamaica, and the side spilled the ball out of court with little more than two minutes left to give the Australians their final taste of turnover.
Up by three goals, the world number one side can thank their depth and experience as the two main factors that got them through that match, working as a team to get the job done.
The shooting pairing of Shanice Beckford and Fowler finished the match with an extremely rare eight turnovers between them, demonstrating just how effective the Diamonds defensive unit and midcourt worked as a collective to disrupt.
Speaking to the media, Bruce said she drew from her Super Netball knowledge to ultimately win the battle against her Fever teammate.
"To be honest it just felt like training," she said, "You know when you come up against Jhaniele you might not get every single ball, but one in 10 is okay and I knew those moments would come off the back of some full-court pressure."
"That wasn't going to come in the first quarter, so I just went out there to try and fatigue her as much as possible."
Roses beat Silver Ferns to reach final
In the semi-final played earlier in the day, between England and New Zealand, the match played out in equally tight fashion and the teams could not be separated until the final five minutes.
Locked at 40-all, England found another gear to bang home six unanswered goals and seal their first top-two finish at a Netball World Cup in 48 years, 46-40.
Current champions New Zealand were missing their main target Grace Nweke, who unfortunately bowed out of the tournament with a knee injury and had to be replaced.
Without her star power up front their team was unable to have the same impact and will now play Jamaica for bronze, but their failure to reach the final means it's the first time since 1995 that we won't see the decider played out between the trans-Tasman foes.
Instead, Australia will need to learn from their 56-55 loss to the Roses on Thursday in their final match of the preliminary stages.
History is on their side, as the last two World Cup winners have followed the very same pattern – as did this current Diamonds group 12 months ago to win gold at the Commonwealth Games.
The Australians will have a slight edge on England given their track-record against the Roses, beating them in all previous 13 meetings at the major tournament until two days ago, but it should be another epic showdown between the remaining teams.