Netball World Cup 2023: Diamonds selectors facing tough calls ahead of team announcement
Australia will name its team for the Netball World Cup next week. Before that, here are the tough questions selectors need to answer as the Diamonds hunt the one trophy they don’t possess.
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Three days, four games and seven burning questions that need to be answered.
Diamonds selectors face a massive challenge this long weekend as they finalise Australia’s 15-woman squad for next month’s netball World Cup in South Africa.
At least eight players have sealed their spots on the plane to Cape Town, with coach Stacey Marinkovich having shaped her squad for the benchmark tournament since winning the Diamonds job three years ago.
With a team that has won every major tournament in the sport in the past two years, just one challenge remains and coming up with the right combination to win back the World Cup is half the battle.
Ahead of the team being named next week, Net Gains examines the burning questions Diamonds selectors must settle in the coming days before announcing their World Cup squad next week.
WHO WINS THE FINAL MIDCOURT SPOT?
This is seemingly a battle between Jamie-Lee Price and Kate Moloney. Both have been in and out of the final 12 during the Marinkovich reign, with Price receiving the biggest blow when she was left out of the final Commonwealth Games team last year.
She bounced back with stellar performances against New Zealand and England in the end-of-year Tests, while Moloney was also solid, if not as spectacular as her rival. But neither really cemented themselves as irreplaceable during the Quad Series in Cape Town earlier this year, leaving selectors with a quandary.
With Liz Watson and Paige Hadley locked in at wing attack and centre and Marinkovich having shown a preference for a specialist wing defence during her tenure, this is shaping as the toughest tour choice of all.
Does it come down to Super Netball form, where Price has arguably excelled this season, or will combinations count for more, with Moloney left to slot in next to her Melbourne Vixens co-captain and great mate Watson?
Is Price’s strength and aerial ability worth more than Moloney’s defensive nous and ball security?
VERDICT: Price. Her excellent form in the Constellation Cup and series against the Roses last year coupled with strong Super Netball form mean she’s a must for the Diamonds.
WHICH DEFENDER WILL JOIN COURTNEY BRUCE, SARAH KLAU AND JO WESTON ON THE PLANE TO SOUTH AFRICA?
A race in three here between Sunday Aryang, Ruby Bakewell-Doran and squad newcomer Matilda Garrett.
Garrett’s versatility is a huge plus, with the long-armed 186cm Thunderbird able to play across all three defensive positions.
But without a Test to her name and the Diamonds only heading into camp just over two weeks out from the World Cup, it would be a huge call to have her in the final 12.
Firebirds goal defence Bakewell-Doran has had an outstanding Super Netball season and boasts the best stats of the trio this season.
A similarly strong domestic season last year pushed the woman known as “RBD” into the Diamonds squad and she eventually made her Test debut against New Zealand after being a reserve for the Commonwealth Games.
As the incumbent though, Aryang will be hard to displace. The Fever goal defence has had a hot-and-cold season but was back to her best last round keeping the Sunshine Coast Lightning’s Diamonds shooters in check.
Certainly, not everything she does is reflected in a stats panel and her combination with likely starting goal shooter Courtney Bruce, counts for plenty.
VERDICT: Aryang’s experience at Test level to get her the nod in a tight call.
CAN SOPHIE GARBIN RETAIN HER DIAMONDS SPOT OR HAS DONNELL WALLAM DONE ENOUGH TO OVERTAKE HER?
The Commonwealth Games and Quad Series trio of Steph Wood, Cara Koenen and Kiera Austin will be on the plane to Cape Town but with Gretel Bueta unavailable, the final position in the 12 comes down to a choice between goal shooters Sophie Garbin and Donnell Wallam.
Garbin was outstanding for the Diamonds in last year’s domestic Tests and reliable again at the Quad Series in Cape Town earlier this year.
While she has played out of position at goal attack for the Magpies during the Super Netball season, it’s something Marinkovich said on selection of her squad she was unconcerned about, knowing Garbin was training as a holding shooter in the background.
Had looked down on confidence during the domestic season though, something that can’t be said of Wallam, who has risen to the challenge of steering the Firebirds attack with Bueta out of action.
Her versatility is another string to her bow and while Garbin can play at goal attack, Wallam’s ability to move in and out of the circle and shoot from range and not just be a one-trick pony under the post is a bonus.
VERDICT: Wallam. Her ability to embrace the moment and rise under pressure make her a must on the biggest stage.
WILL ASH BRAZILL’S INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE GIVE HER A WORLD CUP FAREWELL?
Marinkovich has shown throughout her tenure as national coach she prefers to have a specialist wing defence in her camp and Brazill has excelled in this cycle through Quad Series and Commonwealth Games.
She has not had the most dominant Super Netball season – although declaring it would be her last campaign, followed by the downfall of Collingwood has taken an emotional toll that may have affected her domestic game – but it has been far from awful, especially in the past few weeks when her leadership qualities and ability to perform under pressure have come to the fore.
Brazill is not the only candidate though. Amy Parmenter continues to thrive after making her Diamonds debut last season and has had a strong Super Netball campaign for the Giants.
With six Tests now under her belt, she has had a good taste at international level and would let no one down.
VERDICT: Brazill is likely to get the nod for what will be a final international campaign. Another of those players that rises to the big occasion and her performances have been instrumental in recent finals.
WHO IS THE MIDCOURT RESERVE?
Is it as easy as Price or Moloney if both are not picked in the 12? Probably not.
If the Diamonds opt for a specialist wing defence, as expected, and go with either Price or Moloney in the midcourt, they have a heavily defensive team, with fewer playmaking options should they suffer a midcourt injury.
With reserves able to be injected into the competition for the first time in the event of injury or illness during the tournament, their selection must be truly strategic.
With players like Jo Weston, Price, Moloney, Aryang, Bakewell-Doran and Garrett all able to play at wing defence, does a centre/wing attack like Maddy Proud come into the equation as a reserve to cover for an injury to Hadley or Watson?
VERDICT: Likely to be Price or Moloney but this one is an incredibly close call given Australia’s midcourt depth.
WHICH SHOOTER GETS THE ROLE OF RESERVE?
This one could be easier. Giants young gun Sophie Dwyer seems to be on the outer a little, mainly because fellow goal attacks Wood and Austin seem selection locks and while she’s versatile enough to play as a goal shooter, the Diamonds really need a holding option with Koenen’s forte her ability to move defenders around the circle.
Wallam or Garbin would seem a logical selection here, with the player that misses the 12 getting a ticket to South Africa as a reserve to play a selfless team role.
VERDICT: With Wallam seemingly making an irresistible case for inclusion in the 12, Garbin is likely to find herself as the travelling reserve despite some outstanding international form at the end of last year.
HOW IMPORTANT WILL VERSATILITY BE FOR THE DEFENSIVE RESERVE?
While Aryang and Bakewell-Doran are the last two circle defenders to be blooded by Marinkovich in the lead-up to the World Cup, Garrett remains a genuine option, especially given her ability to play across all three defensive positions.
Both Aryang and RBD can push out to wing defence as well as play in their preferred goal defence bib.
There’s just a 3cm height difference between the shortest of the trio – Bakewell-Doran at 183cm – and the tallest but the 186cm Garrett’s long arms and physical one-on-one marking make her an option at goalkeeper as well as at goal defence, while she’s nimble enough to play at wing defence as well.
VERDICT: Bolter. Selectors to opt for Garrett as insurance for an injury to either Bruce or Klau.
NET GAINS: SUPER NETBALL ROUND REVIEW
SWIFTS BELIEF STANDS OUT
Few outside the NSW Swifts‘ inner sanctum believed the two-time Super Netball premiers would be in a position to make the top four this year, let alone end the regular season as minor premiers.
Long before it was known that outstanding shooter Sam Wallace would miss the entire season due to continued rehab on her reconstructed knee, the Swifts were written off by most.
But co-captain Paige Hadley and coach Briony Akle have revealed there was always belief within the team.
“I think the inner sanctum always have that belief,” Akle said after the Swifts sealed top spot with a 78-65 victory over the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane.
“And I really think the culture at our team is ingrained.
“Why play at the top level if you don‘t think you’re going to get there and be in the top four, let alone be minor premiers.”
Hadley spoke before the season of her belief that the Swifts could rise again after a tough 2022 to be real contenders.
“The core group have been together for quite a while now and I think every addition we get it‘s just adding something new and something little bit different for us,” Hadley said.
“Like adding Romelda (Aiken George) this year, it‘s just something different for us in that goal circle.
“Obviously, the position that we‘re in has been through hard work, not just this year, but over a few years.
“And I think last year blooding those few young ones has put us in good stead for this year.”
Akle said the players‘ belief was something that even she was in awe of at times.
But after nine consecutive victories, winning has become a habit and it‘s not something the Swifts are planning on stopping any time soon.
“I certainly do that time together has built that beautifully,” she said of a team whose nucleus has been together since the inception of Super Netball.
“This league is the best in the world on any given day a (Super) Netball team can turn up and win.
“So for us to get those little wins very much instilled that we just build on that the next week, we go for (a win by) two, and three, and I think today‘s performance (against the Firebirds) is that grind.
“Knowing that they can win ugly, they can win well, it might not feel great but we still win.”
RACE STILL ON FOR SECOND
The Swifts may have sealed top spot but with a round remaining, the race is still on for second and a double chance in the Super Netball finals.
Defending premiers West Coast Fever leapfrogged the Adelaide Thunderbirds into second spot on the ladder with their 11-goal win over the Giants in Perth on Sunday following the T-Birds‘ loss on Saturday night.
It was the Thunderbirds‘ second loss in succession and took them from potential minor premiers to a team that suddenly looks vulnerable under pressure.
The Thunderbirds take on the Swifts at Sydney‘s Ken Rosewall Arena on Saturday and need to win to have any chance of pushing back into second spot.
They also need the Fever to lose their final match – in what will be an emotion-charged clash against Collingwood in the Magpies‘ last ever Super Netball match.
FEVER HITTING PEAK
After a few stumbles, the Fever are hitting peak form when it matters most and won‘t give up their title without a fight.
Captain Courtney Bruce, who picked up player of the match honours for a performance against the Giants that included three intercept and 10 deflections, said her team was ready to pounce on a late chance to finish in the top two.
“We‘re feeling really good,” Bruce said after a couple of lacklustre matches in which the Fever faded late.
“We wanted to come out … and be able to keep our foot on the pedal.
“We knew that we had an opportunity that had opened up after last night and now we want that second chance.
“We want to be able to play the Swifts (in the major semi) and we want to have another final here if need be.”
The Fever‘s staunch RAC Arena crowd was a factor for them again on Sunday, breaking a regular-season attendance record when more than 11,000 fans showed up.
FANS FLOCK TO FINAL ROUNDS
It‘s been another good week for crowds, with sell outs in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne.
The Thunderbirds attracted 9000 to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday before the Firebirds had 4544 at a sold out Nissan Arena.
Melbourne‘s Rod Laver Arena is expected to be packed for Monday’s Victorian derby – the last between the Vixens and Magpies – with the sold out signs having been out for more than a week.
LADY IN RED
Romelda Aiken George has become such a fixture for the NSW Swifts this season, the fact that Sunday‘s match was her Brisbane homecoming was almost missed in the mix.
Aiken George was a fixture at the Firebirds for 15 years, playing 197 games before not being offered a contract for this season after sitting out the 2022 season on maternity leave.
The Swifts picked her up as a training partner, knowing their own Caribbean shooter Sam Wallace would miss at least part of the season rehabilitating a knee injury.
But with Wallace forced out for the entire season as her rehab hit a hurdle, the Swifts‘ recruitment of Aiken George seems even more inspired now than it did at the time.
With the Swifts playing for the minor premiership at Nissan Arena on Sunday, the 34-year-old – once such a fixture in the purple dress – was very much team red.
The Jamaican – who has forced her way back into the Sunshine Girls‘ squad for the World Cup so strong have been her performances this season – will always be a beloved player in Queensland though and it’s likely when the Firebirds finish their campaign next week, many will swing behind the Swifts in their bid for a third Super Netball crown.
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Originally published as Netball World Cup 2023: Diamonds selectors facing tough calls ahead of team announcement
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