Diamonds give Lisa Alexander a fitting farewell in bushfire relief match

The Diamonds provided a fitting farewell to long-serving coach Lisa Alexander in an entertaining charity match for bushfire relief.

Outgoing Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander, left, watches on during the bushfire relief charity match against the Super Netball All-Stars at Qudos Bank Arena. Picture: AAP

The Diamonds provided a fitting farewell to long-serving coach Lisa Alexander, defeating the Super Netball All-Stars in an entertaining bushfire relief charity match.

A crowd in excess of 12,500 provided a wonderful atmosphere at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday as Australia led at every break to secure a 66-53 victory from a multinational All-Stars line-up.

The result mattered little as both sides took advantage of the unlimited interchange to showcase the talent available.

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After 102 Tests in charge of the national team over almost a decade, Alexander admitted this was unlike any other match she had prepared the side for.

“It’s been completely different,” Alexander said. “It’s not got the same pressure as a Test match.

“The girls are playing with so much freedom today which is great.

“It’s enjoyable because they can actually get out there and show their skill and having the rolling subs allows up to show their depth.”

While the on-court action was not as serious as the Diamonds are accustomed to, all involved were aware of the importance of the match.

“Netball is a true reflection of the Australian community and the values that we hold dear, which is teamwork and we support each other,” Alexander said. “We all knew the purpose of this was to raise as much money as we possibly could for all of those people that have been suffering and hopefully we have brought a bit of joy to their life.”

Asked about her legacy to Australian netball, Alexander replied: “We’ve tried to build a high-performance program that’s the envy of the world and we’ve certainly done that.

“We’ve left it in a great position for whoever takes over this team and it’s very exciting for the future.”

Diamonds captain Caitlin Bassett said the charity match had provided a perfect chance to reward Alexander.

“This last game today … playing against such an amazing team is such a fitting way to say farewell and thank you for all that she’s done for us,” Bassett said.

In addition to the farewell of world championship and Commonwealth Games winning coach Alexander, the game also marked the international swan song of goal shooter/attacker Caitlin Thwaites after 55 caps.

AAP