The Diamonds duo under the most pressure at World Cup
With pregnant star Gretel Bueta missing the World Cup, two Diamonds players will carry the most pressure for Australia. But, just like Sam Kerr, they want to embrace it as a privilege.
If the Diamonds are to snatch back the World Cup trophy they lost in England four years ago, there is no combination they are likely to rely on more heavily than that of shooters Steph Wood and Cara Koenen.
The world No.1 Diamonds head into the tournament as undeniable favourites for the title after losing their crown to New Zealand’s Silver Ferns by a single goal in 2019.
But with star goaler Gretel Bueta missing the tournament through pregnancy - and due to give birth to her second child in the coming days - Wood and Koenen will be key pillars of the Diamonds attack.
But if they feel under more pressure than any other member of the team, they are not letting on.
“Sam Kerr said it recently: pressure is a privilege as well,” Wood said.
“So you have to thrive in it. We are world no.1 and we will be a team that’s hunted but all those top four teams at the moment, I would say even five nations, are going to push for medals through this (tournament).”
Wood and Koenen have an incredible on-court understanding, built while playing for the Sunshine Coast Lightning in the Super netball competition.
Both players are foundation members of the club and while a young Koenen spent time on the bench in the early years of the competition serving an apprenticeship to former Diamonds captain Caitlin Bassett, she and Wood have been working together for more than four seven years now and have an uncanny understanding of each other’s games.
“Obviously we know each other’s games quite well having played week-in and week-out and having trained together all year as well,” Koenen said.
“But on the flip side, that obviously means that people have been able to do their homework on us and there’s a plethora of footage out there that any opposition coach can go to, to pick apart our connection.
“We’re still trying to challenge (each other) and Stacey (Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich) has already tried to challenge us on creating more variety between the two of us and having different things to go to when our opposition cottons on and tries to shut down that connection.”
Wood is widely regarded as one of the smartest players in the sport.
While shooters like Bueta and Koenen are blessed with incredible athleticism, Wood - while no slouch in that department - is a master tactician, something that is incredibly valuable in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of international tournament netball where there are no timeouts to confer with coaches.
Problem solving on the run is a must - and it’s Wood’s forte.
“I do think this year we’ve been able to show variation in our game,” she said of the pair’s Super Netball efforts for the Lightning.
“There were games where ‘Cars’ shot a large volume of the goals, then flipside, there were games that I probably shot a higher volume than I have in previous years.
“Knowing that we’ve got both of those things up our sleeve - you put a lot of pressure on me and ‘Cars’ can take the bulk of the load and then flipside, if you double-team on Cara, I’m not afraid to go to the post.
“So no matter what teams put out there, I do think we do have the answer.
“It’s just about executing those things in the moment and not necessarily having to wait for Stacey (Marinkovich) or ‘Richo’ (Diamonds assistant Nicole Richardson) to say from the sideline.
“Being your own coach out on court, I think is really important.”
The Diamonds’ shooting stocks run deep, with crafty goal attack Kiera Austin, whose defensive ability and shooting prowess under pressure will be key, and holding shooter Sophie Garbin, who demonstrated in the end of season Tests last year her incredible ability close to the post in their shooting arsenal alongside Koenen and Wood.
Koenen said building the same level of connection with that pair as existed between her and Wood was a priority in camp ahead of the World Cup.
But it’s still likely to be the Lightning pair wearing the starting bibs at the pointy end of the tournament.
They played unchanged in the Quad Series final at the start of the year, helping the Diamonds to a hard-fought 56-50 victory over New Zealand to retain the trophy.
Koenen, along with Austin and Garbin, made her debuts at the Constellation Cup in New Zealand in 2021, Marinkovich’s first tournament in charge.
She burst onto the scene with a match-winning display in game two of that series, leading the Diamonds to their sole win of the tournament against the Silver Ferns.
While she already possessed some of the baseline moves that have become her trademark, then, she has only grown in confidence and stature since.
Wood points to Koenen’s pivotal performance off the bench in the Commonwealth Games gold medal match last year, where she joined Gretel Bueta to repel a Jamaican comeback as Wood herself hit the pine in the final stages.
“I think what’s great about our team is we’ve got depth,” Wood said.
“Just because ‘Cars’ and I line up at club level together doesn’t necessarily mean we will be a starting seven combination in the Diamonds,” Wood said.
“Anyone can get be put on the court and do the job - and I think that’s a luxury we have.
“It even showed in Comm Games last year. Gretel, and I started but ‘Cars’ came on and did a brilliant job in that grand final.”
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