Netball: Diamonds complete clean sweep against England, Roses celebrate Wallam fightback
Despite reeling from being swept in their series, England’s Roses could celebrate the contribution of ‘awesome’ Donnell Wallam as being ‘way bigger than netball’.
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England’s bitter disappointment at being swept in their series against the Diamonds has been tempered by a moment the team recognised as “bigger than netball”.
The Roses lost the final game 57-53 to Australia in Brisbane on Thursday night to concede the series 3-0 despite a thrilling opener in Newcastle last week that was locked until the final seconds of the match.
Diamonds goaler Donnell Wallam broke the deadlock on debut, her audacious lay-up in the final seconds giving Australia a 55-54 victory and ensuring a week of intense pressure and scrutiny over the breakdown of Netball Australia’s proposed partnership with Hancock Prospecting ended on a high.
As Wallam let out her pent-up frustration with a roar of delight, not even the shattered Roses camp could deny their admiration for the West Australian Noongar woman, who had been the focus of much of the fallout of the broken $15 million deal.
“I think a lot of the limelight has obviously been on her, there’s been a lot of controversy in the Australia house but when she came on in that game (in Newcastle) and hearing the crowd, it definitely lifted them,” Roses shooter Elle Cardwell said.
“To be honest with you, obviously we’re opposition but it’s something bigger than netball, it’s way bigger than netball.
“And we were just like, that is awesome for her to be able to come out there and do that.
“To get that winning goal, obviously we were devastated but it again is so much more than netball and super happy for her to get her first cap and to do it in that way was really awesome.”
The Diamonds have spoken of their pride at being able to tune out the outside noise over the past month, coming back from two games down to win the Constellation Cup against New Zealand’s Silver Ferns before sweeping the Roses in their three-game series with Wallam on song again in the final match in Brisbane on Thursday, finishing with 25 goals from 26 attempts in just over a half of play.
England arrived to a storm of controversy around the sport and while they too had to tune it out, Cardwell said the Roses camp had used the situation to educate themselves on the issues facing the Diamonds and ponder their own response had they been in the same situation.
Wallam, who became only the third First Nations player to represent the Diamonds when she took the court in the series-opener against England, had sought an exemption from wearing the Hancock logo for the England series due to comments from company founder Lang Hancock proposing the sterilisation of sections of the Indigenous community.
Her teammates backed her conscientious objection, asking that they all be able to run out in a logo-free dress for the England series and while all, including Wallam, eventually agreed to don the Hancock livery, the sponsorship was pulled, with the company pointing the finger at tensions between Netball Australia and the players’ association.
“Obviously, coming over here and hearing everything that’s been going on we have been trying to educate ourselves as well - having a little talk about it and saying: ‘What would we do in that situation?’,” Cardwell said.
“We would completely stick together as a unit, as a team and try and help that person through it.
“And then obviously, when we get to training our head is solely in training, what the focus is in the tour and so on.
“But just trying to take the learnings and yeah, educate ourselves on the matters.”
Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich said the scrutiny on her team underlined the standing of the sport on the Australian landscape.
“I think it shows that what we do on the court is recognised but also the personality and what we do as a group to contribute to community also has a stronger reach as well,” Marinkovich said.
“We need to grow to understand how we embrace that extended interaction with community and social media and all that type of thing.
“You’re stepping up with the AFLs (and those types of sports) and are under more scrutiny and more surveillance and all that sort of stuff.
“But I think it’s a credit when you’re starting to make those inroads and actually be able to contribute and make people proud on the court but also be able to reach communities and interact and make a change.”
The Diamonds had an off-court win during the week, with Visit Victoria, the Victorian government’s tourism and events arm, announcing a $15 million sponsorship of the sport from grassroots to elite level from 2023.
‘PERFECT’ WALLAM COMPLETES DIAMONDS SERIES WIN
The all-conquering Diamonds have thrown coach Stacey Marinkovich a massive challenge ahead of next year’s World Cup, handing her a selection nightmare after an England clean sweep.
The Diamonds survived a late fightback from the Roses to claim the third Test 57-53 in front of 8566 fans at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and sweep the series against England 3-0.
It gave Australia a fourth title in 2022, to go with the Quad Series, Constellation Cup and Commonwealth Games gold medal as they underlined their place as the no.1 team in the world.
It was a messier finish than the Diamonds would have liked to their 18th match of the year but they sealed a 14th victory to go with a draw and three losses - two of them against the Silver Ferns in New Zealand last month in the midst of the Hancock Prospecting sponsorship stoush.
Donnell Wallam started the match and finished with an almost perfect performance in just over a half - converting 25 of her 26 shots.
The effort, coming on the back of her matchwinning cameo on debut in Newcastle, showed she has a long future in the gold dress.
But Sophie Garbin’s performance in this series - she finished with 14-of-18 goals, two rebounds and two pick-ups in the final match - and the Constellation Cup, underlined her enormous talent.
Sophie Dwyer also made her presence felt on Thursday night, adding nine-of-10 shots, six goal assists, nine feeds and two gains, including an intercept, to show the incredible depth of the goalers.
Despite being without regular captain Liz Watson in this series, the Diamonds were rock solid in the midcourt, with series captain Paige Hadley, who played every minute of the three games against England, named player of the match.
“I’m just so happy to be out there, Comm Games was so hard personally, so to be back out playing with these girls is honestly a dream and I’m very grateful that I can be a part of it,” she said.
Hadley gave some insight into the difficult past few weeks for the Diamonds, paying tribute to their ability to win two series under enormous pressure as the sponsorship dramas swirled around them.
Never in doubt 😅
— Origin Australian Diamonds (@AussieDiamonds) November 3, 2022
We squeeze home by 4 to make it five wins from five on our home soil in 2022! #ShineBright#AusvEngpic.twitter.com/3nBi5Bps3i
“To my Diamonds teammates, it’s incredible to be a part of this group and to have the opportunity to lead you is an inspiration,” Hadley said.
“What you’ve been able to do, especially over the past few weeks is inspiring.
“To the fans, it’s been nearly three years since playing at home and we’ve loved playing across the country … we just hope we’ve done you proud.”
The Roses didn’t make it easy though.
Behind by as many as nine early in the match, the Roses clawed their way to within three in the final term, with the Diamonds attack clunky.
But as they have done all year, the Diamonds responded when the heat was on to seal the match.
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THIRD-QUARTER — Australia 43-38 England
A great quarter there for the Roses, who have clawed their way back to within five at the final change.
The Roses lost the third term in the opening two tests of the series but have hit back in Brisbane, winning the period 14-11 to give themselves a chance in the final 15 minutes.
Mass changes from the Diamonds seemed to confuse things after their seamless start but with just 15 minutes left in their international season, they’ll be determined to finish strongly.
And there’s another change for Australia, with Jamie-Lee Price on at centre and Sarah Kalu on at goalkeeper as the Diamonds run a tall defensive line-up with Weston at wing defence and Bruce at goal defence.
FIRST CHANGES
The Diamonds have made two changes to start the second half, with Jo Weston coming on in place of Maddy Turner and Sophie Dwyer on at goal attack.
Dwyer, who made her debut in the Constellation Cup last month, has had few chances to show her wares and will be hoping for a strong half.
She’ll be working in tandem with Sophie Garbin, who’s just hit the court in place of Wallam, who leave the game with 25 goals and just one miss.
Marinkovich has been pleased with the Aussies’ start but told Fox Sports she wanted to see more speed from her team.
“The first quarter we really wanted to nail that first five minutes and we came out of the blocks strong,” Marinkovich said.
“But we’re a bit clunky at the moment, particularly at the end of that second quarter and we just need to get some speed back and we’ve got to do a lot more work in open space.
“We’ve got to do some work ahead of the play to be able to have the options to look internally.”
HALF-TIME — Australia 32-24 England
Donnell Wallam is capturing the headlines with a perfect 23-of-23 but Maddy Turner is doing an exceptional job at the other end of the court in her first appearance of the series.
The Swifts defender has three gains, two intercepts, a rebound and a pick-up to halftime in a busy job on both Ellie Cardwell and Sophie Drakeford-Lewis.
Cardwell started at goal attack, with Turner’s Swifts clubmate at shooter but the Roses mixed up their line-up in the second quarter, bringing young gun Drakeford-Lewis on at goal attack.
Little is getting past Turner though, with the Diamonds dominating at both ends of the court.
“It’s super exciting to get out on court, it’s what you dream of,” said Turner.
It’s been a few months since I’ve played a game of netball and it’s definitely fast out there but it’s good to be out there.”
Turner said she had to adjust when Drakeford-Lewis was brought into the match but has done that well.
“She’s definitely on the move a lot and I feel like she comes into the back space well,” Turner said.
“So I’ve got to adjust a bit.”
FIRST QUARTER - Australia 19-11 England
Forget a headache, looks like Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich is going to be left with a selection migraine after this series.
Just as Sophie Garbin showed she was a genuine option as a holding shooter during the Constellation Cup and early in the Roses series, Donnell Wallam stands up. “Hold my drink.”
Wallam’s tunning start against veteran Super Netball favourite Geva Mentor has forced an early change from the Roses, who pushed Funmi Fadoju back to keeper from goal defence, with Layla Guscoth coming off the bench to play out the front.
Wallam finishes the first quarter with 15 goals, shooting at 100 per cent, with the Diamonds pushing out to a 19-11 lead.
Coach Stacey Marinkovich had wanted Wallam to manoeuvre on the hold, not allowing the defenders to dictate terms.
She did that well against Mentor and Fadoju to start with, but Fadoju’s aerial ability is on show early in the second term, with the youngster picking off a couple of passes in early in the second term.
The Diamonds’ challenge is now to place the feed well, and they have started to do that, getting the ball to Austin, who dished off to Wallam for the goal.
WALLAM EARNS DIAMONDS PROMOTION FOR FINAL ENGLAND CLASH
Donnell Wallam will start at goal shooter as the Diamonds attempt to sweep the series against England 3-0 with a win in the final match in Brisbane.
Wallam will start in the shooting circle with Kiera Austin at goal attack, with Cara Koenen rested from the match-day 12.
Maddy Turner has also been named to start her first game of the series and will get her first minutes in Brisbane after not playing at all so far.
Turner will play alongside Courtney Bruce in the defensive circle, with Kate Moloney, Paige Hadley and Amy Parmenter in the midcourt.
For the Roses, exciting defender Funmi Fadoju will line up at goal defence alongside Geva Mentor at keeper.
Giants goaler Jo Harten has failed to recover from injury and again missed the match-day 12.
WALLAM READY TO PRESS WORLD CUP CASE IN DIAMONDS’ FINAL TEST
Donnell Wallam is all but certain to start the final Test against England in front of her adopted home crowd as she attempts to press her case for World Cup selection.
Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich is yet to settle on her starting line-up for the final Test against England in Brisbane on Thursday night.
But with Wallam now recovered from the stomach virus that forced her late withdrawal from Sunday’s second Test in Sydney, she is all but certain to win the goal shooter’s bib for the final match against the Roses after a single 10-minute stint on court in the series opener.
Wallam certainly showed her ability in that cameo, sealing the game with a matchwinning lay-up on debut and converting eight-from-eight attempts on goal in a dream debut.
Coming after a period of intense personal pressure leading up to and following the breakdown of Netball Australia’s proposed partnership with Hancock Prospecting, Wallam’s maiden showing in the gold dress was all the more impressive.
But after being selected for only the three Tests against England, the Queensland Firebirds goaler has had little chance to show her full repertoire.
“I’m not sure who I’m starting just yet but … obviously she hasn’t been out there for too long, so we definitely want to make sure that there’s opportunity out on court,” Marinkovich said.
“The Diamonds haven’t played here in maybe in four years. We still have a real commitment to our fans here and I know that Donnell loves being in this environment as well.
“It’s an enormous atmosphere and the Roses are going to come out firing, so it’ll be a cracker of a game.”
Close to 12,000 fans are expected at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Thursday, continuing the trend of full houses and close to sellout crowds at all venues in the five Tests that have been held in Australia.
And Marinkovich said the team was determined to finish its all-conquering year on a high with a clean sweep of games in Australia.
“I think it shows that there’s a real level of commitment and focus that this group can have at the job that they have to do when it counts,” she said.
“Yes, there has been a lot of noise around but the commitment that we’ve got in building towards a World Cup is front of mind and when we do come together it’s about performance and it’s about doing our job where it matters most.
“We’ve been able to adjust and adapt with the situations but also, playing against different opposition we’ve been able to build and we are really, really impressed with the way that we’ve been able to get the focus right.”
Marinkovich has had to shave just one player from her extended squad to make the match-day 12 after midcourter Maddy Proud remained in Sydney to continue her recovery from concussion.
“She’s going well, obviously was pretty groggy (afterwards), it was a pretty big hit in the last game,” Marinkovich said.
“So she did have concussion, a bit bruised and battered. But Maddy is always in a really positive frame of mind and continues to support the girls and you know, she’s well supported by the Swifts medical staff who have had a great transition with our (Diamonds staff).”
The Australian tour has provided an opportunity for many Diamonds to play in front of family and friends for the first time given they had not played a Test on home soil since 2019.
And the Brisbane match marks Marinkovich’s turn, the former West Coast Fever player and coach returning to the state where her netball journey started to lift a fourth series title this year, with her team in front of her nearest and dearest.
“I started my coaching career when I coached the Fever against the Firebirds … in Queensland and to be able to have the whole family around, it’s exciting,” she said.
“To be able to move around and bring netball back to Australia - the crowds that we’ve had, the environment, the atmosphere - it just shows you where really love to be but also how well you can impact your community as well.”
CONCUSSION BLOW: DIAMONDS STAR TO MISS FINAL ENGLAND TEST
Maddy Proud is out of the final Test against England after being concussed following a friendly fire hit in the Diamonds’ series-clinching victory in Sydney.
Playing in front of a home crowd of more than 14,000 fans, NSW Swifts co-captain Proud was injected into the match in the third quarter in a bid to re-energise the midcourt.
The recent debutant was causing plenty of headaches for the England players but it was an accidental elbow from teammate Kiera Austin that brought her undone, with Proud hitting the floor late in the third term before being assisted from the court by medical staff.
She eventually returned to the bench but played no further part in the game and coach Stacey Marinkovich confirmed a concussion.
Proud will have to pass protocols before she plays again but the quick turnaround between matches means she will not play the series final in Brisbane on Thursday.
“She has got concussion, so a bit groggy at the moment,” Marinkovich said after the match.
“So we’ll monitor her and she’ll be under our concussion protocols and work with our medical staff.
“It’s unfortunate and we’ll just make sure that she’s in good care.”
Any player concussed would need at least 12 days to return to play while moving through the protocols and Proud will definitely not return in Brisbane.
Proud has suffered complications from concussion in the past, missing a game for the Swifts after being involved in a collision with now England captain and former Super Netball clubmate Nat Metcalf (then Haythornethwaite) in training and missing the club’s next match.
While it won’t necessarily stop her from passing the protocols, Proud and Netball Australia will make sure she steps through all the hoops needed, with women generally experiencing a greater number of symptoms than men during concussion, with those symptoms more profound.
First called into the Australian team as a teen, Proud did not make the squad again for more than 10 years but came into the squad and left again for the Constellation Cup last year and then this year’s Commonwealth Games.
After finally hitting the court against New Zealand, Proud was determined to make the most of her opportunity, as coach Stacey Marinkovich says all players to have donned the gold dress over the past month have.
“Any selection for me right at this point in time is difficult across multiple positions, all positions really,” she said.
“We’ve got to look at an overall dynamic and keep weighing that up.
“We’ve got a bit of time still now before we have to select for World Cup but it’s great to be able to have so many people putting their hands up.”
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