Netball World Cup 2023: Diamonds squad may spark outrage, writes Lisa Alexander

The Diamonds World Cup squad will be named this week. Lisa Alexander outlines the heartbreaking process for those that miss out and names her extended squad.

As Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich and her selectors prepare to finalise Australia’s World Cup squad, fans need to be prepared for some selections that might spark outrage.

While many factors go into squad selection, one major consideration is there is very limited time for Marinkovich and her assistant Nicole Richardson to get this winning combination humming.

The team culture, spirit and togetherness, is an extremely important factor in winning a world title.

So bolters and current form does not necessarily mean that athlete is a “shoe in” to make the team or even the squad.

Marinkovich and her Diamonds selectors - Annie Sargeant and Michelle Wilkins - will be watching and studying matches to produce ratings, assessments of performance and commentary around all eligible Australian players. They will discuss this on a fortnightly/weekly basis.

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They will also use critically important assessments and discussion that comes from the current squad and their performances in recent camps and Test matches.

Winning the Commonwealth Games Gold, the Constellation Cup and the most recent Quad Series could be the very reason a young gun does not get selected in this World Cup squad, as the selectors may not want to make a change to what has been a very successful squad in recent history.

The other very important consideration is that the rules of World Netball are different to SSN in two key areas, the first being there is no supershot time period and secondly no tactical timeouts.

Fifteen minutes of concentrated netball are required which brings a different emphasis on fitness components and concentration levels into play for the selectors.

This just reinforces again the need for recent International matches and national camps’ information to support the decision making process.

PRESSURE ON SELECTORS

It is in the DNA of Australian Netball to win and accept nothing less. This is the reason our country has been hugely successful over time in winning 11 World Championships. It is the hardest team to get into according to the numbers - 12 spots for over 1 million participants.

Naming a squad several weeks before the tournament is mandatory but also a risk because you would often have athletes not performing as well as you would like, some real standouts who have had little time in the program, and last-minute injuries.

I have always said you are only as strong as your squad and each athlete must be ready for a NWC and to be able to contribute to a winning combination. This is the key question to ask when faced with a selection dilemma.

We called our Diamonds trademark “Sisters in Arms”, this drove the behaviours and expectations of the squad, including having an ‘everyone is equal’ philosophy. Therefore, the ability of an athlete to add their talent and skill to this very special part of winning teams was never underestimated and always discussed as part of the overall selection. Getting the balance right here is what defines the world’s best coaches and selectors.

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Selection is a complex, head scratching, anxiety-riddled time fuelled with emotion but also with the knowledge that you have some really experienced winning selectors and support staff on your side.

There will be hard phone calls to make and sometimes calls to discuss the possibility of retirements etc, always with the athlete’s mental health and wellbeing in mind.

It is a true rollercoaster for both the coach and the athlete when this news is delivered.

I used to complete it all in one day with time allocated for each call. Athletes would know when their call was coming and that they would be at home or somewhere with support if needed. Their SSN Coaches would also be notified to provide support once the athletes had all been called.

WHO MAKES THE TEAM?

My worry is the defence end, it points to an ongoing general area of concern for Australian Netball as we compete with the AFLW and Women’s Cricket for athletes.

It is light on in terms of current form and if an injury occurs in this area, it will be a major headache for the selectors.

It may be necessary to enquire as to April Brandley’s availability just in case and keep a close watch on Emily Mannix as well.

The centre court is elite and experienced, and I have given the nod to Ravaillion as I see her as an X-factor for the opposition to contend with as well as her ability to play across multiple positions. The only curve ball will be, has she made herself available for selection?

The goaling end is fascinating especially now that Gretel Bueta is out of the picture.

The Diamonds have just kept motoring along without her after the Commonwealth Games, where she was unstoppable. Watch this space!

I have also put all the positions on the selections to ensure all bases are covered for all positions and possible combinations. 

I have a chosen a squad of 22 athletes, but it is likely that this NWC squad may be less in number to accommodate any unforeseen circumstances over the next few weeks.

Sometimes it is a knife edge decision for an athlete being selected into the squad and the team and can be a positional issue as much as anything else; at the end of the day, this is a tournament that requires the bench to cover all positions at a world-class level.

Originally published as Netball World Cup 2023: Diamonds squad may spark outrage, writes Lisa Alexander