Black Ferns coach Allan Bunting said they would have a lot to play for after Australia suffered a tough 25-32 loss to the United States.
The Black Ferns would learn from their loss, which would set up a good challenge against their trans-Tasman rivals.
Co-Captain Ruahei Demant said when the team got straight into a huddle at full-time, the message was that looking to their game against Australia, their last in the series, it was necessary to look inwards at what they could do individually to make sure their preparation was detailed enough so they could do everything they could to be better.
She felt the gaps in class internationally were closing.
"It's exciting to know that whatever opposition you play, you can't take them lightly.
"The journey for us to work up to next year wasn't always going to be smooth, but this is where we going to get the most growth."
Bunting said the loss was frustrating, but Canada was physical; they held onto the ball and played in the right areas.
"Our discipline let us down there so we'll take some lessons from that."
He said the Black Ferns' intent was good, but they probably hadn't adjusted to the referee. He felt they were not the only ones infringing at the ruck, but they needed to adjust.
However, in terms of the longer term, the result will be good for the game.
"Canada have grown their game, and they came out and have made some changes, they've got a kicking game that worked really well for them."
He said there were still encouraging signs. The Black Ferns scored a try when they had only 14 players on the field. They started to light things up under challenging conditions and got back into the game.