Diamonds target World Cup glory

Australian Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander has reminded her players of the goals for 2019.

Coach Lisa Alexander and captain Caitlin Bassett pose with the Constellation Cup in October.

As the Australian Diamonds prepared to close the book on a frustrating 2018 campaign, head coach Lisa Alexander wrote a letter to the entire top-ranked team, making it clear they’d need to push themselves harder in 2019.

The note, sent just before Christmas, was “a little bit of a kick up the backside about a few things, a bit of a truth telling session,” according to Alexander.

“We understand we can’t stand still, we can’t rely on the fact that we’re No 1 in the world. We have to be better,” she said.

Australia finished 2018 with 15 wins and two losses, winning two Quad Series trophies and another Constellation Cup series over New Zealand.

But the year was defined by April’s stunning gold medal match loss to England at the Commonwealth Games. It was a reminder that no one will remember how dominant the Diamonds are if they can’t win the biggest matches.

“The focus for 2019 is to win the World Cup, there’s no doubt about that,” Alexander said.

The coach has spent her two-month off-season designing a training calendar to have her team peaking at the dying stages of the tournament, hosted in Liverpool in July. A vital part of that run-up begins early on Monday morning when the Diamonds take on South Africa’s Proteas in England, as part of the January Quad Series. The series, which also features England and New Zealand, will be the final hitout for the Diamonds prior to the World Cup.

A rash of retirements over the past year has left the Australian selectors with an unusually young squad. Only two current players were part of the 2015 world champion side. By comparison, that team retained seven players from the 2011 final.

“We do turn over athletes much more often these days. That’s the reality of having 17 Test matches last year and having a full season of domestic Super Netball,” Alexander said.

She also emphasised that selecting players on form instead of reputation had been a bedrock of Diamonds selection for decades, adding that Australia’s “cricket selectors could have a look at what we do”.

Many of those younger Diamonds have proven their worth over the past 24 months. Defensive duo Jo Weston and Courtney Bruce are as physically dominant as any pairing in international netball, and Steph Wood has formed an excellent shooting combination with captain Caitlin Bassett during their two years together at the Sunshine Coast.

Vixens star Liz Watson cemented her reputation as the best wing attack in the world last year when she was awarded the Liz Ellis medal for Diamond of the Year.

The biggest name not currently in the squad is Kim Ravaillion, who has held down the centre position for the past four years but withdrew from the team late last year to recharge her batteries.

Alexander has given Ravaillion a clear target: get in the best possible physical and mental shape, and wow selectors at the crucial Diamonds camp in March.

That will be the final look the selectors have at the players together before the team is announced in late May, after the fifth round of the Super Netball season.

The Diamonds will enter the World Cup as favourites, but are well aware this is set to be the tightest tournament yet.

The England Roses will be desperate to prove last year’s Commonwealth Games success was no fluke, and make the most of a great crop of senior talent — veterans Geva Mentor, Ama Abgeze and Jade Clarke are unlikely to participate in another major tournament.

Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taura continues to aggressively rebuild her team, looking for a squad that can give her consistency.