The merits of comeback queen Gretel Bueta’s inclusion in future Diamonds’ netball squads
A short clip of Gretel Bueta back in training sent netball fans into a frenzy, but if the champion Diamond does make another comeback, should she be an immediate selection for Australia? NAT MEDHURST answers the question.
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Vision of Gretel Bueta training with Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich has netball buzzing that after three years and two children she could be eyeing a Diamonds squad recall and comeback to competitive netball later this year.
With netball confirmed for the Commonwealth Games next year quickly followed by the World Cup in Sydney in 2027 the return of Bueta into the green and gold is an exciting prospect for netball fans.
Assuming Bueta does want to make a return to elite netball – and we’ve yet to hear that from her – the question must be asked whether she walks straight back into the Diamonds squad?
Diamonds selectors are assessing the current crop of Super Netball players before naming the 2025/26 squad, so you’d assume Marinkovich has had those conversations with her about her intent to return to play.
When quizzed by Fox Netball commentator Bianca Chatfield on a Bueta return, Marinkovich didn’t deny it but indicated that netball was being used as a tool to get her fitness back after having her third child four months ago.
But Marinkovich made it clear she was definitely not retired from the game, with a possibility that she may be in the squad and it is ‘bit by bit and (they) will see where it takes (them)”.
My personal opinion is Gretel should not immediately return to the Diamonds squad.
I am all for mothers making a comeback and think it would be not only incredible for her to do so but also completely possible for her to make a return to the green and gold after having son Toby (born August 2023) and daughter Lacy (January 2025).
She made the comeback successfully after her first child, sitting out 2020 while pregnant with son Bobby (January 2021) and then returning just a few months later in 2021.
But a straight call up after three years out of the game, isn’t something I agree with. If it was one year out, we would be having a completely different conversation. But it isn’t.
And I say this even as a mum who did make a return to SSN nearly four years between matches.
Unlike my return, where I was first able to gain some decent level of competitive netball through the then structured week-long ANL competition which was held post SSN competition, Bueta does not have that luxury.
With the ANL now running concurrently within the SSN fixture, exposure to netball matches is limited to a State League competition where the standard drops significantly.
Without a doubt, Bueta’s athleticism and skill provides a great platform for people to know what she is capable of. But irrespective of Bueta’s history, having not played since the 2022 Commonwealth Games, three years out of the game is a long time.
A lot has happened since then – both positively and negatively for the Diamonds – let alone for Bueta.
A World Cup win in 2023 and more recently a 3-1 series loss to the Silver Ferns in the 2024 Constellation Cup. This result might be what is calling for her comeback, especially with the Commonwealth Games looming. Would it be the same if they had won? Who knows.
But back to her selection and I do believe netball needs to be played somewhere before she can warrant being put into the next Diamonds squad.
To take the place of another player in a full squad position without any netball for that amount of time, doesn’t sit well.
Although knowing she is a much-loved teammate within the Diamonds environment, I’m not sure how other players would view that happening and if risking any disharmony at this point is worth it.
A possible short term fix is to name her as an invitee which I believe would be a smart move.
I feel even for Bueta’s sake, that the inclusion straight back into the squad, would also come with immense pressure and expectation to be back at an ‘international standard’, which could backfire and is not a situation that she should need to be feeling straight away.
By naming her as an invitee, she would be invited into the training camp environment, and also be given a lot more freedom to just enjoy coming back and literally find her feet amongst players who have been playing all season.
From there it comes down to how she performs within an SSN environment in 2026, only that would give scope for the Diamonds selectors to include her into the full squad if they felt it was warranted.
So who does she play for in SSN?
The easy prediction would be that she would line up back at the Firebirds, but with Mary Cholhok there, it might be unlikely.
The two front runners for me are the Sunshine Coast Lightning and the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
At only 31 years of age, there are still plenty of years of netball for her to play.
Up at the Sunshine Coast, there’s good mates and it is also close to where she has already set up home with her husband and kids.
And with Steph Fretwell out of contract at the end of the 2025 season, might there be a vacant spot in the goal circle?
The same contract opening applies at the Adelaide Thunderbirds, with their entire shooting circle, excluding swing player Georgie Horjus, being off contract at the end of the season.
Young shooter Lucy Austin is struggling to squeeze into the team of 10 in recent weeks as the need for two holding shooters is limited, and experienced shooter Romelda Aiken-George may be overlooked, especially as a heavily strapped knee may be a concern for longevity for the club.
Whether a possible return to netball is only a short-lived stint to attempt to compete in a Commonwealth Games and particularly a home World Cup, or extends to a longer stint on the floorboards, Bueta’s 30 second Instagram video has certainly got people talking and with plenty of questions waiting to be answered.
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