New Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich won’t appoint a full-time captain for the series against New Zealand

New national coach Stacey Marinkovich has put an immediate twist on deciding who she wants to appoint Australian captain.

Diamonds captain Caitlin Bassett has lost the job, at least for now. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Caitlin Bassett remains in contention to captain Australia during the Constellation Cup series against New Zealand despite being axed as the Diamonds’ official skipper by new coach Stacey Marinkovich.

The Diamonds will play the Silver Ferns without a permanent captain next month after Marinkovich decided to use the series to assess all candidates before making her first leadership appointment.

Marinkovich said the move was designed to “encourage collective leadership” before any permanent decision was made.

However, to meet International Netball Federation rules, a captain will have to be appointed for each Australia’s four matches against the Silver Ferns.

Marinkovich said “absolutely” goal-shooter Bassett – who quit the Australian Super Netball competition after a frustrating 2020 season with the Giants to join New Zealand club side Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic – was among the options to captain Australia in at least one of the games.

“The leadership that will be named on the day is around the performance of our game plan – that’s where we want the leadership to come through,” the Diamonds coach said from hotel quarantine in Christchurch.

“Caitlin’s got a huge amount of experience with the team, and just because we’ve changed the process for this series, it isn’t taking away anybody’s availability or ability to be selected in those leadership positions.”

Marinkovich was pleased with the response from Bassett and her fellow previous leadership group members Gabi Simpson and Liz Watson when told of the changes.

The Diamonds will adopt a new squad leadership approach for the upcoming Constellation Cup with all athletes having the opportunity to lead the team💎

DETAILS >> https://t.co/GOxEfe6C56 pic.twitter.com/C1im4DtRX7

— Origin Diamonds (@AussieDiamonds) February 16, 2021

“We spoke to all three players ... and it was to make sure that they were across the journey with us,” Marinkovich said.

“This approach isn’t about diminishing about what’s been done in the past.

“Caitlin’s very passionate about the Diamonds and her position within the squad. I know she’ll continue to bring that passion and that strong leadership to the group throughout the entire series.

“That’s the commitment she makes, that’s the type of person she is. We still want to see her leadership qualities front and centre.

“There are so many Super Netball leaders within this squad, so this approach is all about maximising that skill set within the group and encouraging all athletes to be leaders regardless of how long they have been part of the squad.”

The new approach will be reviewed at the end of the series, and the Diamonds will aim to put a leadership group in place before the next international series, with players, coaching staff and Netball Australia having input into this process.

The Constellation Cup matches are being played at Christchurch Arena on Tuesday, March 2 and Wednesday, March 3 and then at Tauranga on Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7.

The 2020 Constellation Cup was postponed due to the impact of COVID-19 on international travel. Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand are hoping to complete two Constellation Cup tournaments in 2021, one in March and one in October.

Originally published as New Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich won’t appoint a full-time captain for the series against New Zealand