Netball: Australian Diamonds v England Roses, score, result, Maddy Proud concussion fears as Diamonds win series
The Diamonds sealed a series win against the England Roses with a convincing victory in game two, but the match was clouded by a worrying injury.
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The Diamonds have sealed their series against England with one game remaining but the 56-48 victory has been clouded by an injury to midcourter Maddy Proud, who may not be available for the final Test.
Midcourter Proud copped a friendly fire blow late in the third term and was soon being attended to by the team doctor before being assisted from the court.
She took no further part in the game but she did return to the bench – a promising sign for a player who has been plagued by concussion issues in the past.
“She’s such a tough competitor out there and to see her get knocked down like that is pretty distressing,” Fox Sports commentator Kim Green said.
It’s a massive blow for Proud, who made her debut against the Diamonds in the Constellation Cup more than a decade after first being called into camp as a teen.
After a player of the match effort in the series opener in Newcastle on Wednesday night, Proud started on the bench before being injected after halftime as the Diamonds looked for the options and flow that created so many problems for the Roses at the start of the match.
She did that and had eight feeds and two goal assists in just 13 minutes on court before being forced off.
Proud’s cameo helped spark the Diamonds engine after a spluttering second term but coach Stacey Marinkovich would be happy with the performance overall after her team dominated across the court.
Amy Parmenter, who made her own debut earlier this month in the Constellation Cup, was player of the match after a stunning defensive performance that helped stifle the England attack.
Playing in front of a massive crowd of 14,117 at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, Parmenter finished with three gains including two intercepts, two pick-ups and three deflections.
“It was so special,” the Giants goal attack told Fox Sports after the match.
“I feel like I’m dreaming to be honest.”
In concert with defenders Jo Weston and Sarah Klau, Parmenter helped stifle the England ball, shutting down Roses captain Natalie Metcalf and her replacement Hannah Joseph as the Roses struggled for answers.
Playing with Weston, who had another outstanding game at goal defence, had had bolstered her confidence, Parmenter said.
“She just gives me so much confidence and direction, it’s really cool and I’m pretty grateful to line up with her.”
While the defence was stifling, the attack was also on song.
With game one heroine Donnell Wallam was missing with illness, Cara Koenen was outstanding, finishing with 29 goals in a stunning showing against the best that defenders Funmi Fadoju and Geva Mentor could throw at her.
England series captain Paige Hadley had asked for more consistency from her team.
“I thought on Wednesday we were really patchy and tonight we were still patchy in spots but I thought our five-minute blocks were better.
“It’s about giving those opportunities to others,” Hadley said of the seamless changes for the Diamonds.
“Cara (Koenen) in that circle, that movement and Soph (Dwyer) coming on, Parmy (Parmenter) in defence, it just shows the depth that we’ve got and the belief in each other that whoever is out there can do that job.”
AUSTRALIA 56 (Koenen 29, Austin 22, Dwyer 5)
ENGLAND 48 (Cardwell 40, Housby 8)
THIRD QUARTER: PROUD TAKEN OFF AFTER WORRYING CONCUSSION
Maddy Proud has been taken from the court after a worrying friendly fire incident saw her hit the court hard.
After copping an accidental elbow from teammate Kiera Austin, Proud hit the floor and was soon being attended to by the team doctor, before being assisted from the court.
Proud, the Swifts co-captain has a history of concussion and the knock will certainly end her night, if not her series.
It’s a massive blow for Proud, who made her debut against the Diamonds in the Constellation Cup more than a decade after first being called into camp as a teen.
The Diamonds take an eight-goal lead into the final break though, having found their range in the third quarter.
England did close to within two goals at one stage but the Diamonds put the foot on the pedal and responded with five in a row midway through the term to open the game back up and all but seal the win.
England coach Jess Thirlby, despite saying she was happy with young gun Fadoju, injected Geva Mentor into the game in a bid to slow the ball into the circle and the progress of Koenen.
Not only a Super Netball veteran, Mentor is a former teammate of Koenen’s at the Sunshine Coast Lightning and knows her game inside and out.
PROUD HITS COURT
Well, not literally – for once – but the player of the match in Test two is on there to help generate some of the flow that was lacking in the first half in getting the ball down to the circle for the Aussies.
That’s the only change at this stage though, with Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich backing the rest of her starters.
Meanwhile, Imogen Allison has come on at wing defence for England, with Laura Malcolm moving to centre to accommodate the change.
Marinkovich wants her team to get back to generating multiple options in attack, as they did in the opening stages of the game, something that kept the Roses guessing.
Marinkovich has been happy with the Austin-Koenen combination and also Swifts ‘keeper Sarah Klau, who spent some time on the bench in the series opener.
HALF-TIME: ROSES UP ANTE BUT DIAMONDS STILL LEAD
The Diamonds maintain a 28-24 buffer at halftime but they lost that quarter to England 13-12.
England tightened things up markedly in the second term, making life difficult for the Diamonds to get quick, clean ball into the circle.
There are not too many empty seats here at Qudos Bank Arena. Around 15,000 apparently sold for a venue that holds around 17,000 in this configuration when full.
It’s more than 1000 days since there’s been a live netball Test in Sydney and the fans have come out in force.
They’ve had a little less to cheer though, with the injection of Layla Guscoth for the Roses a masterstroke.
The defensive pressure she’s bringing has slowed things right down for the Diamonds, who have lost their flow in attack and are finding it much more difficult to score.
The Diamonds were disappointed with their 23 turnovers in game one on Wednesday night and vowed to tighten up.
But it’s going to have to come with an improved showing in the second half after they gave the ball up 12 times in the first two quarters.
Koenen said without the tactical timeouts available in Super Netball, players had to work things out for themselves on court.
“We’ve been talking a lot about consistency since the last game, so we’ll be looking to smash that out in the second half,” Koenen told Fox Sports.
She said the Diamonds needed to maintain their workrate in the second half to ensure they won the Test – and sealed the series.
“They’re riding our bodies pretty hard, it’s nice and physical out there, so make sure we’re on to every ball nice and strong and finishing off where we need to.”
Guscoth said her role had been to stop the “over ball” that was coming into Austin in particular in the circle when injected.
“(Austin) is quite elusive, so she’s got quite good timing to the ball and takes the front space really well which can draw you off for Cara to come into the back space, so we need to not be so reactive and try and dictate a little more.”
FIRST QUARTER: DIAMONDS OFF TO FLYING START
The Diamonds have sprinted to a five-goal lead at the opening change of the second Test against England, learning plenty of lessons from their grinding performance earlier in the week.
Despite a late change in which they lost Donnell Wallam – the shooter many predicted to start tonight – the Aussies were on from the start, with Cara Koenen and Kiera Austin on song for the Diamonds.
England coach Jess Thirlby has not been happy with her side’s start and has made changes, injecting Layla Guscoth in place of Fran Williams.
But youngster Funmi Fadoju has bene left out there despite predictions veteran Geva Mentor could be brought on to stem the damage.
The Aussies have made two uncharacteristic errors early in the second term though, with the Roses closing to within four goals.
HERO WALLAM RULED OUT
There will be no repeat of the Donnell Wallam heroics that won the opening match of the series with the shooter a late withdrawal from the Diamonds squad with a stomach ailment.
Sophie Garbin – who had originally been left out of the match-day 12 – returns to the squad, although it’s Cara Koenen and Kiera Austin who will start this one in the shooting circle.
Sophie Dwyer is also on the bench and the young gun is likely to get some substantial time on court soon, the Giants goal attack one of the few players coach Stacey Marinkovich has not tested fully yet through either the Constellation Cup or this England series.
England series captain Paige Hadley starts at wing attack tonight, with Jamie-Lee Price at centre and getting another opportunity to show her versatility.
Gutted at missing out on the Commonwealth Games squad, Price has made good on her promise to make the most of every opportunity she gets in the gold dress and has been one of the Diamonds’ best in the five Tests played so far this spring.
Amy Parmenter will start at wing defence in her first game of the England series after sitting out the opening Test.
Sarah Klau and Jo Weston will start at the defensive end.
England has also made a key change, set to start rising star Funmi Fadoju, whose own cameo was only overshadowed by Wallam’s star hand on Wednesday night.
Fadoju will start at goalkeeper ahead of veteran Geva Mentor.
Aussie men prove why they are best in business
Australia has underlined the difference between the best and the rest in men’s netball, beating England 73-27 in the Thorns’ first international.
The England men were playing their first Test and it showed on court from the opening pass, with the Aussies taking a 17-5 lead to the first break, increasing the margin to 22 by halftime and eventually notching a 46-goal victory despite blooding four debutants of their own.
Where the series against New Zealand was close – the teams sharing honours in the first two games before Australia won the series in game three – the England clash showed the gap that exists between the Pacific pair and the rest and the battle men’s netball faces to find consistency at the elite level.
Every game England plays at this level will make a difference though and if the sport is genuine in its desire to be a part of the 2032 Olympics, it needs to start bringing more and more men’s teams into the fold.
And the opportunity to showcase the men’s game in front of a building crowd at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena was outstanding for the sport in an ironic reversal for men’s sport.
Anton Stechiwskyi was dominant in the shooting circle for Australia, having converted 25 of his 28 attempts.
Stechiwskyi was subbed out at halftime, with Lachlan Carter coming on to add an impressive 23-of-23 in his stint, with Eugene Lee finishing the match at shooter.
Player of the match Liam Forcadilla, who had an impressive 29 feeds in three quarters on court, said the opportunity to be part of the history-making match was “absolutely amazing”.
“The first game against England, this is absolutely wild,” he said.
“This has been a dream come true, we’ve been building behind the scenes for ages and to get an opportunity like – this is just next level.”
And he encouraged boys and men at home to become part of the next wave of male players.
“Netball is for all, we’ve got a product here that is fantastic and we’re skilled and there’s a pathway there for you,” he said.
“Keep coming, keep showing up to your associations.”
Aussie captain Dylan Nexhip was “bursting with pride” and paid tribute to the sport’s trailblazers.
“This group of boys, we’ve worked so hard for the last six months in this program to get to this stage and we’re really happy with how we’ve grown and the product we put out there today,” he said.
“To have so many people come through our program and the debutants today shows how strong our program is and I think the future is great.
“We owe so much to (the male trailblazers). Men’s netball started on the international stage in the 80s and we wouldn’t be today if not for the hard work that they put in off the court, on the court, everything they’ve done, we owe so much to them.
“We’re the lucky ones that get to be out here. But this one is for all the men who have played netball, all the men who have done the hard work and we just want to see the sport keep growing.”
England captain James Thomson-Boston understood there was plenty of work for his team to do but the opportunity to take the first step was a “historic” start.
“It really does mean something to play at this arena in front of a crowd this big and play the best in the world and at some points compete,” he said.
“We’re not going to say we competed for all 60 minutes but we are a fresh squad and that’s nine months of work for us.
“Give us five years and I think that scoreline is going to be closer.”
AUSTRALIA 73 (Stechiwskyi 25, Carter 23, Lee 13, Roberts 12)
ENGLAND 27 (Keeling 13, Firminger 4, Nicholson 4, Williams 3, Owen 2, Green 1)
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