Quad Series 2023: Gretel Bueta not named in Diamonds team for tournament against England, South Africa and New Zealand in Cape Town

Australia has named its team for the Quad Series in South Africa in January and it doesn’t include one star shooter as she takes time out to contemplate her future.

Gretel Bueta will not feature in next month’s Quad Series. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

The Diamonds will head to next month’s Quad Series in South Africa without the star shooter who propelled them to success this year as Gretel Bueta takes time out with family over the Christmas period.

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich has named a squad of 14 players to take on England, New Zealand and South Africa in Cape Town from January 22-26, deciding against the full contingent of 15 players.

Australia has named five goalers and five midcourters but jut four defenders, with Marinkovich deciding it’s more beneficial for fringe players to maintain pre-season preparations with their Super Netball clubs that spend time sitting on the bench given she can only name a squad of 12 for each match.

While five shooters have been named, they do not include Bueta, who was player of the series in London in January this year, with her efforts in the last quarter of the final in particular, helping break deadlocked scores and propel the Diamonds to the series win over England’s Roses.

Gretel Bueta will not travel with the Diamonds to South Africa for the Quad Series. Picture Lachie Millard

The Queensland Firebirds representative was similarly dominant at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, spearheading the Diamonds’ quest for gold before standing down from Australia’s Constellation Cup and Roses Test series after becoming pregnant with her second child.

But Bueta announced on social media last month she had suffered a miscarriage and has taken time out with husband Niko and son Bobby and has not yet committed to playing this season – for either club or country.

“At the moment Gretel’s just focusing on family and we’ll just continue to support that as she works through everything,” Marinkovich said.

“She hasn’t made any definitive decision around her career or anything like that but certainly she’s still a strong part of the squad.”

Sophie Garbin has beaten Donnell Wallam to claim the holding shooter’s position for this tour, joining Cara Koenen, Diamonds vice-captain Steph Wood, Kiera Austin and Sophie Dwyer as the goalers named.

“I think Donnell has shown incredible growth for the time that she’s come in and entered into a high performance environment,” Marinkovich said of Wallam, who only made her Super Netball debut last season before pushing into the Diamonds wider Commonwealth Games squad and making her international debut against England in October.

Donnell Wallam was also left out of the squad. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

“So she certainly is growing and she certainly knows there’s capacities and capabilities that she needs to keep evolving and we’re working really closely with her as we are with the squad members.

“Sophie (Garbin) had a great series, she was a key focus point for us and we certainly just like to have the variety of what we can do out in that shooting circle.”

Like Garbin, Jamie-Lee Price missed out on the final Commonwealth Games team but her form in the domestic Tests meant she could not be overlooked for the Quad Series.

She joins Diamonds captain Liz Watson, Kate Moloney, Paige Hadley and Ash Brazill in a strong midcourt.

Brazill, a member of the gold medal-winning Birmingham squad, sat out the Constellation Cup and Roses series, with debutante Amy Parmenter making a massive impression at wing defence.

Brazill will head to South Africa – in part to see her take on New Zealand’s Silver Ferns, who the Aussies did not meet at the Commonwealth Games.

Amy Parmenter impressed during the Constellation Cup and Roses series at Wing Defence. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images for Netball Australia)

“It’s a tough decision across that position. We haven’t seen Braz play for a little while and certainly against a New Zealand line-up, so there’s certainly things that we need to continue to look at,” Marinkovich said.

“It’ll certainly make the World Cup selection, a really tough one but very exciting for what we’ve got in our pathway.”

But Marinkovich said the Super Netball season would still play a key part in determining the final World Cup squad.

“We do have the world’s best competition, we know SSN (Suncorp Super Netball) is a major part of our preparation for World Cup as well,” she said.

“And you’ve got a lot of international players out on that court as well so we’ve been able to watch key match-ups and seeing how players adapt to different styles week-in, week-out will certainly give us more information to be able to make some really sound decisions.”