Commonwealth Games 2022: Diamonds’ gold medal the ultimate tale of redemption

Australian netball has never needed the Diamonds this badly — and boy did they deliver. Suddenly a sport mired in controversy in recent years is talking positively, writes Emma Greenwood.

The Australians celebrate their victory over Jamaica.

Hear that noise?

It was the collective sigh of relief from the netball community after the Diamonds secured a drought-breaking title in Birmingham in a thrilling gold medal contest against Jamaica.

The 55-51 win was not the closest gold medal match in Games history - not by a long stretch.

The 2010 final between Australia and New Zealand was a double-overtime epic, while the Gold Coast final four years ago was won by a single goal after the siren.

But there have arguably been few more important matches for Australia.

This was about redemption.

Not just for the shock one-goal loss on the Gold Coast.

Captain Liz Watson leads Australia’s celebrations after the win over Jamaica.

Very different emotions back in 2018 after a one-goal loss to England.

Just four members of the 2018 team lined up at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre and while the win was sweet for captain Liz Watson, Jo Weston, Steph Wood and particularly defender Courtney Bruce - who has had to live for the past four years with the memory of the last-second infringement that gave England the opportunity to break a deadlock after the siren — it alone didn’t drive the Diamonds.

The past four years has been tough for the national team.

The Gold Coast loss was followed by another one-goal defeat in the 2019 World Cup and the Diamonds suddenly seemed to have lost their shine.

Coach Lisa Alexander’s contract was not renewed and Stacey Marinkovich was appointed in 2020, with many questioning her engagement from the start.

She hadn’t played for the Diamonds herself. Hadn’t won a Super Netball title as a player or coach. How could she lead the national team back to the top?

A loss in the Constellation Cup later that year and a controversial rotational captaincy policy in the dying days of Caitlin Bassett’s reign only increased the pressure on the national squad, while selectors were under the spotlight earlier this year after leaving the likes of Kim Ravaillion, Kelsey Browne and Maddy Proud out of the initial Games squad.

Birmingham was seen as the chance to release that pressure.

But the decision to take NSW Swifts midcourter Paige Hadley into the Games with a calf injury that she exacerbated during an early round match and a last-quarter capitulation to Jamaica in the preliminaries had the team under the pump heading into the finals.

Diamonds though are forged under pressure.

Latanya Wilson of Team Jamaica and Gretel Bueta of Team Australia compete for the ball.

Against England in the semi-final - a 2018 Games gold medal rematch most thought would be the Birmingham decider - the Aussies were on song.

Marinkovich backed the players that had lost to Jamaica and they repaid the faith.

Breaths were still held into the final though.

But now was redemption time.

Watson shone as a leader and she Wood, Weston and Bruce played pivotal roles against the Sunshine Girls.

The gold medal squad included three players blooded by Marinkovich since 2020 and Sunday Aryang and Kiera Austin had strong tournaments, while Cara Koenen was outstanding in the final when injected into the shooting circle with the Sunshine Girls threatening.

Kate Moloney, who many doubted at international level, had an outstanding tournament in the midcourt with Hadley unable to play, while defender Sarah Klau was pivotal in the final when she came on late in the first half.

The Australians steel themselves before the Birmingham decider.

Marinkovich and her assistant, Collingwood coach Nicole Richardson were on song themselves in the final, making the appropriate moves to counter the surges they knew would come from Jamaica.

Little by little, the netball community was able to stop holding its breath.

The job is not yet finished. There’s a World Cup to win in South Africa next year and the depth at the top of the game is as good as it’s ever been.

But Marinkovich and the Diamonds deserve to be able to breathe freely for now and enjoy a hard-won gold.

Domination can wait. Redemption is complete.

Originally published as Commonwealth Games 2022: Diamonds’ gold medal the ultimate tale of redemption