Netball news 2024: The former Diamonds captain plotting Australia’s netball downfall
A former Diamonds captain has crossed enemy lines starting as a specialist coach for England when Australia’s three-Test netball series against the Roses starts in Adelaide on Thursday.
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Former Diamonds captain Sharni Norder is shaping as a secret weapon for England in their series against Australia after linking with the old enemy as a specialist coach.
Norder, who played 46 Tests for Australia, including in two victorious World Cup campaigns and a Commonwealth Games win, has linked with the England Roses as a specialist defensive coach for their three-Test series against Australia, starting in Adelaide on Thursday.
And she could provide the Roses with vital inside information, both on the Australian style of play and on Diamonds shooters Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin, who she has just spent a season alongside in the Melbourne Vixens’ camp in her role there as a defence specialist.
An astute player, Norder is gaining plenty of plaudits as a canny coach as well, having laid strong foundations at the grassroots schoolgirls level before joining the Vixens ahead of their 2024 grand final season and then linking with England.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to join Jess and the Vitality Roses as a specialist defensive coach for the upcoming tour against the Australian Diamonds,” Norder told England Netball at the time of her appointment.
“It was an honour to represent my country, I’ve always had the utmost respect for the Vitality Roses and it is a privilege to be invited into their inner sanctum as a specialist coach.
“The English defenders are a dynamic unit with exciting talent and I hope to help them reach their full potential.
“This is an exciting step on my coaching journey and whilst I’m there to impart my knowledge, I am also looking forward to growing and learning from Jess and the Vitality Roses environment.”
While some may be shocked at the move from an Australian captain, Norder is taking on an opportunity that’s as rare as hen’s teeth in the international game and fellow ex Diamonds defender Bianca Chatfield is one praising the move.
“How many opportunities are going to come up, really, in the Diamonds in that role?” Chatfield said of an area nailed down by current Australian assistant and noted defensive specialist Nicole Richardson.
“So I think when this came to her, she was thinking, what an opportunity it is to also learn from different coaches as well.
“Sharni’s really started to play a role in specialist coaching across all different forms of the game … from school elite level to VNL (Victorian Netball League), she is working into Vixens, to now International.”
Norder joined the Roses in camp in Perth on their arrival in Australia and will work with the squad throughout the Australian leg of their tour, which also includes Tests against the Silver Ferns in New Zealand later in the month.
England’s team includes some outstanding defenders, including captain Fran Williams, who honed her game in the Super Netball league over the past season having linked with West Coast Fever.
Regarded as one of the most intelligent players in the game, Williams will pick up quickly on any tips from Norder, which Chatfield believes will include “the Australian way of playing”.
It’s a boon for a young team that has had some turnover since the last World Cup, including of veteran defenders like Geva Mentor and Layla Guscoth, who had both spent time in Super Netball and were more familiar with the Australian style.
The opportunity for younger defenders, such as excitement machine Funmi Fadoju and Razia Quashie to learn from Norder is outstanding . And Chatfield said sometimes a new voice could make all the difference.
“As a player, I have so many memories of different defensive coaches coming into the Diamonds … and every time we (did), I got to learn something different,” she said.
“It’s something that keeps it fresh.”
The England coaching line-up will have another face familiar to Super Netball fans, with Giants co-captain Jo Harten working as a specialist focusing on the Roses’ shooters and attacking play.
Harten made the tough call to retire from international duty ahead of last year’s World Cup in South Africa but had a taste of international coaching duties there and adds to her resume by joining Thirlby’s staff for the Australia and New Zealand legs of the tour.
“I’m looking forward to the journey that lies ahead in this coaching role. The growth of this team and their road to more success will be an exciting ride,” Harten said.
I will do my best to add value where I can, whilst looking for growth across this international window in both the team’s performance and my own coaching abilities. I can’t wait to get stuck in and represent the red dress once more.”
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