Australia takes down England at the Netball Nations Cup to remain undefeated

They fought to be paid like the world champions they are and Australia’s star netballers have shown again they are worth every cent.

The Australian Diamonds showed again why they deserved every dollar they fought for in their pay war with Netball Australia by toppling England to remain undefeated in the Netball Nations Cup in London.

Backing up from a take-down of arch rivals New Zealand, the Diamonds continued their historical dominance over England with a thrilling 61-59 win, the 75th Australian victory in 85 matches against England.

The Diamonds had to overturn a two-goal deficit going into the final period, having led by five at halftime.

Sophie Garbin led the scoring for the Australians, finishing with 26 goals, while Cara Koenen (12) and Kiera Austin (12) contributed in the win that gives the Diamonds a 2-0 record at the tournament.

A second win in the books to close out the first weekend of the Netball Nations Cup 👊

Match report 👉 https://t.co/2M5yXgUUYNpic.twitter.com/y6WsLVkoJQ

— Origin Australian Diamonds (@AussieDiamonds) January 21, 2024

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich has been able to test the depth of her squad, running several different combinations, and said it was driving them to improve.

“They’re all putting up their hands, so they’re making decisions harder but also making it easier when we want to shift things (in a game) and we’re doing it through this skillset,” she said.

The Australians will get a week off before having to suit up again against Uganda, who took it up to New Zealand before going down 65-60.

The tournament is the first for the Australian team since last year’s bitter and at times emotional pay dispute with Netball Australia that finally ended with a new deal for all Australian players.

Among the casualties was NA chief executive Kelly Ryan, who quit her role amid the fallout.