Dynamic ‘Diamonds way’ the key to series victory over England

Australia can wrap up victory in its three-Test series against England with a win in the second Test in Sydney on Sunday but the Diamonds can’t allow the Roses to put the brakes on their slick play.

Australian captain Liz Watson has urged her teammates not to allow England to slam the brakes on the Diamonds’ dynamic style of play as they attempt to wrap up the three-match series in style in Sunday’s second Test in Sydney.

The Diamonds dominated in a 13-goal win over the Roses in Thursday’s series opener in Adelaide, although a second-half lapse allowed the World Cup finalists to fight their way back into the game.

While England had high points, including a 98 per cent success rate from their goalers, it was the relentless intensity of the Diamonds they couldn’t match, with a relatively inexperienced midcourt, in particular, breaking down under continued pressure.

It’s a style of play Australia calls the “Diamonds way” – a dynamic, high-energy game that needs full commitment and intensity from every player on court.

Get it right and there’s not a team in world netball that can match it across a full game.

But become passive, or down-tempo, and the Diamonds invite rivals back into the game – something Watson felt the Aussies did at stages of the opening Test when they played to protect their lead rather than keep turning the screws on a Roses squad that had floundered at times in the opening half.

The Diamonds celebrate their game one win over the England Roses. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

“I just felt we started to protect the lead almost,” Watson said.

“As soon as you start to protect, you start to play a bit tighter, you’re not as sharp in your moves, you run on top of each other a bit too much and go into a bit of a help mode.

“Everything we’d done leading up to that point was so fast and dynamic, we were able to let the ball go and find some space.

“Obviously they were doing lots of changes too, which can take time to adjust to and we were trying to figure that out on the fly and make our game plan still relevant.

“But the work rate, I think, dropped, and it’s interesting, if you look at how we were running, how fast we were, it was definitely a lot more passive.”

That attitude could become infectious on court and the Diamonds were guilty of moving away from the short, sharp, precise play that had England under so much pressure in the opening half.

“Obviously that’s what England want to do,” Watson said.

“They want to slow us up as much as possible – and we want to play with ball speed.

“That is our way, that’s the Diamonds way, to be fast and dynamic and they did a great job in that third quarter of slowing us down.”

Paige Hadley and the Diamonds have vowed to continue to play a fast and attacking game style. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

England coach Jess Thirlby threw the kitchen sink at the Aussies in the third quarter – a period won by the Roses – on Thursday, making wholesale changes and her combinations will be better for it in Sunday’s second Test.

The answer for the Aussies is to knuckle down.

“It’s a hard way to play,” Watson said of the Diamonds way.

“You have to be there, you have to be on. It’s hard work, that’s what it comes down to, is that mindset of (being willing to do the) hard work, because once you run hard, we break it open, and we can really get on top of teams.”

Watson is a hard marker. To open the domestic Test season with a 13-goal victory over a quality side like the Roses is hardly a poor showing.

And doing it with some new combinations and a defensive debutant deserved praise.

“We’d probably (prefer) not to let the lapses last for as long as they did (on Thursday) night with the one (full) quarter.

“But we can’t get too caught up, to still win by 13 goals against a quality international team is huge for our game as well, so we’re really proud of that too.”

Originally published as Dynamic ‘Diamonds way’ the key to series victory over England