Constellation Cup: Cara Koenen pushing for another start at the expense of Diamonds veteran Caitlin Bassett

Cara Koenen’s Constellation Cup form is threatening to again relegate ex-Diamonds captain Caitlin Bassett to the bench.

The Diamonds are ready for the final two games of the Constellation Cup this weekend. Picture: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich has defended her decision to share the team captaincy during the Constellation Cup as former skipper Caitlin Bassett’s international career is being threatened by the emergence of Cara Koenen.

Having captained Australia in their first-up loss to New Zealand on Tuesday, Bassett was dumped to the bench for Wednesday’s second game of the series.

Instead, Sunshine Coast Lightning star Koenen was given the goal-shooter spot, and she didn’t disappoint, scoring 29 goals and securing player-of-the match honours in the Diamonds’ series-levelling 45-36 win.

The series continues on Saturday in Christchurch, with Marinkovich yet to reveal whether she will reward 25-year-old Koenen’s form with another start on her maiden Diamonds tour again at the expense of veteran Bassett.

“We’ll go through our process, our team run and look at the opposition,” Marinkovich said.

“I’ve got a lot of variation that I can go to. I can go to a post-up shooter or that moving circle.

“We’ll just go in with the match-ups that we want to see at different points and then read the game as it goes.”

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Marinkovich said Bassett still had “a wealth of experience to provide for the team” but was also impressed with Koenen’s form as well her off-court contribution.

“She’s a very smart athlete, hugely athletic, (and) very quick in the way that she plays,” the new Diamonds mentor said of Koenen.

“She feels very comfortable within this environment now, and we’re experiencing the leadership that she can bring and the contribution that she brings to team meetings now, and all those types of things that make everything about her a bit more holistic.

“She’s really embracing it.”

Marinkovich also would not reveal who would captain the Diamonds on Saturday, or in the final game of the series on Sunday when crowd restrictions will be lifted to allow fans to attend the match.

Liz Watson was skipper on Wednesday after Bassett’s game-one leadership role.

The lack of a permanent tour captain has drawn criticism from previous Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander and Australian netball great Liz Ellis.

However, while Marinkovich respected others having an opinion, she said there was “confusion” about her tour leadership philosophy.

“It’s certainly not a rotation,” she said.

“It was really establishing what are the values that are important to us.

“There’s players that I’ve never worked with before so I think what we established as a group is when the captain gets named or is voted in by their playing group, it’s because it has been a well-thought, thorough process.

“It’s a real selection in that they know what they’re actually selecting.

“It’s very prestigious to be the captain of the Diamonds, and we just needed a little bit of time.”

Originally published as Constellation Cup: Cara Koenen pushing for another start at the expense of Diamonds veteran Caitlin Bassett