A calf strain will force defender Laura Geitz to miss Australia's final netball Test against England on Sunday when the Diamonds will aim for a series sweep.
Geitz sustained the injury at a training session on Friday.
"If we played her tomorrow, the danger was she could have been re-injured or worsened the injury and therefore would have left her out against New Zealand, and we weren't prepared to take that risk," Australian coach Lisa Alexander said on Saturday.
"If being out of this Test means that she's got time to recover and be ready for the three Tests against New Zealand, it is an easy decision."
Geitz has set her sights on being fully fit for the opening Test against New Zealand in Perth on October 23.
"The injury is nothing too serious at the moment so if I do all the right things hopefully I'll be right for the first game against New Zealand," Geitz said.
Alexander wants a more powerful win from her team on Sunday, but is also keen to explore different combinations.
The Diamonds hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after winning 62-47 in Newcastle last Sunday and 67-36 in Canberra three days later.
The final Test in Sydney will give Alexander her last chance to tweak her line-up before the three-match series against New Zealand.
Alexander wants to see the team reduce its error rate and convert more turnovers into goals.
"We need to explore other combinations in this next Test in preparation for the New Zealand series," said Alexander.
"I certainly can't talk about their commitment not being terrific - it is terrific. I've seen people running after loose balls and backing each other up.
"What I want to see now is that really seamless performance, that we get the ball transitioned from our turnovers, straight into the attack line and we score off it repetitively."
Alexander is using training form to determine who will get a start in the Sydney Test.
"I always like to put out my strongest combination, that won't change," Alexander said.
"What I will do is look at who is performing in training and we've had a training match yesterday where we had a number of players performing extremely well and really pushing for selection.
"That's what makes it much more dynamic and interesting for the coaching staff and we can then look at experimenting, as long as we've got the training form."
Alexander lavished praise on veteran shooter Catherine Cox, who is captaining the side with regular leader Natalie von Bertouch sidelined for the six October Tests with a foot injury.
"She has been outstanding, I can't say enough about her leadership," Alexander said of Cox.
"It's not just on the court or at training, it's off court. It's how she conducts herself as a professional, how dedicated she is."
Alexander said veteran defender Mo'onia Gerrard, who is missing the England series with a calf strain, was looking a lot better and would fly with the team to Perth.
