Diamonds vs. Proteas: New-look Australia seals series with 65-42 win
The Diamonds completed a clean sweep of the Proteas, with three debutants shining in the final game as the next generation strutted their stuff.
With three of their most experienced campaigners left on the secondary bench, the Australian Diamonds have completed a clean sweep of the three test series against the South African Proteas.
The comprehensive 65 to 42 victory was highlighted by the debuts of Hannah Mundy, Lucy Austin and Ash Ervin.
It was an entirely different starting line-up from the previous match, with Georgie Horjus, Alice Teague-Neeld and Matilda Garrett earning their first start for the Diamonds.
All put out strong performances as they aim for a Commonwealth Games berth, with Teague-Neeld finishing as Player of the Series.
With a combined 215 caps on the bench for the Diamonds, the Proteas were the significantly more experienced team. However, the new-look Diamonds were too slick, establishing a 19 goal lead by half time.
The Proteas surged in the third quarter, capitalising on the changes made by the Diamonds, but Australia rallied in the final quarter to run out 23 goal winners.
The South African defensive duo of Nicola Smith and San-Marie Visser were causing plenty of disruption for the Australian attackers, but it didn’t take long for them to settle into a groove.
As Smith started to struggle with the movement of Sophie Garbin, and with Jamie Van Wyk unavailable, Juanita von Tonder debuted for the visitors and finished with four gains in an impressive first outing.
With captain Liz Watson rested for the match, Hannah Mundy earned her first cap as a Diamond following in the footsteps of her mother Shelley O’Donnell and becoming the first mother-daughter duo to represent Australia.
Kiera Austin also enjoyed the game from the sideline, making way for debutant Lucy Austin. Despite only having played 26 minutes across the entire domestic season, she spent 30 minutes on court, netting 18 from 22.
Ash Ervin also made her long awaited debut, brought in for Courtney Bruce. Her rangy arms were able to disrupt the vision of the already struggling South African shooters as she finished with six gains.
Speaking at halftime, Australian coach Stacey Marinkovich was full of praise for her newest Diamonds.
“It is pretty exciting. A bit of a goose-bump moment. This is a childhood dream, and they aren’t that old! But they have earned it. They have worked hard. We don’t give the dress away. It is deserved.”
Jamie-Lee Price earned MVP honours, finishing with three intercepts and four deflections, and causing real disruption for the South African attackers.
The clean sweep sets the Diamonds up perfectly for the upcoming Constellation Cup, against long-time rivals the New Zealand Silver Ferns. And with Netball New Zealand in turmoil over the standing down of head coach Noeline Taurua, the Diamonds will be hoping to reclaim the Cup.
DAZZLING DEBUTS
The Australian Diamonds squad for 2025/2026 featured four potential debutants, all of which earned court time through the series.
Teague-Neeld was particularly impressive with strong performances across all three tests, while Mundy and Ervin will be hoping for extra opportunities during the upcoming Constellation Cup.
HOMETOWN HEROES
Horjus earned her first start for the Diamonds, in front of her local Adelaide crowd and Lucy Austin earned her first cap despite only featuring in three matches for the Adelaide Thunderbirds in 2025. They were clear fan favourites, with the noise almost deafening when either of them lined up for a shot at goal.
Originally published as Diamonds vs. Proteas: New-look Australia seals series with 65-42 win
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