Australian Diamonds pick themselves up and dust themselves off after shock loss to England Roses

Australia’s loss to England in the World Cup shocked netball fans everywhere. Coach Stacey Marinkovich says there’s only one way forward to get their hands on the trophy.

The message from the Diamonds is clear.

They’re disappointed with their loss to England but the one-goal defeat has done nothing to change their World Cup mission.

They’ll pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get on with the job.

Taking on Jamaica in a repeat of the Commonwealth Games gold medal match might have been a clash many had pencilled in as the Cape Town final.

But it’s now their semi-final mission and the path the Diamonds need to take need to take to get to the decider – and they’re adamant it’s no different to coming up against great rivals New Zealand.

Coach Stacey Marinkovich said it did not matter which team Australia faced in the semis.

The Roses beat the Diamonds for the first time at a World Cup. Picture: Ashley Vlotman via Getty Images

“I think you’ve got to be able to beat anybody and at some point you’d probably face off (against Jamaica),” she said.

“For us, it’s about taking the learnings from (Thursday’s match).

“Nothing is lost yet, that’s the mentality. Everything now starts on the weekend.

“That’s what you’ve worked hard through the whole week (for).

“We’ve been able to look at our combinations and (the clash against England) was a really good test for us.”

That “test” was a one-goal loss to the Roses, the first Australia has had to England in World Cup competition and their first defeat at the hands of the old enemy since early 2019.

The 56-55 loss was disappointing. But the Diamonds are not broken.

“We’re definitely not distraught,” Marinkovich said.

“I think this is what our championships are like. Everything is on this game, so it’s going to be pressure there regardless.

“All is forgotten if you get these wins and make that final.

“That’s what we’re embracing, that’s what we’re stepping towards and the girls are pretty excited.

“They like their backs up against the wall, they’ll come in as the underdog if we need to be and we’ll jut work really hard.”

Onto the semis. pic.twitter.com/rxvEq7OFkj

— Origin Australian Diamonds (@AussieDiamonds) August 3, 2023

Midcourter Paige Hadley said the players were looking forward to the challenge of playing Jamaica.

She conceded the loss to England was disappointing – but mainly because it had come from the Diamonds’ own errors.

“When you’re in control of the game, you’ve got to put your foot down and really convert and I think we went away from that,” Hadley said.

“But you’ve got to pick yourself up.

“I felt like we were going to meet Jamaica whether it was going to be in that final or in that first (semi) final.

“You have to beat every team to get (to lift the trophy) so whatever crossover we were going to get was going to be a tough game to get into that final.

“So we meet them early and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

After missing most of the Commonwealth Games campaign with a calf injury, Hadley, more than almost any other player, is excited at the prospect of taking on the Sunshine Girls.

“I think I’ve just honestly loved every part of this tournament – to be out there on court and being a part of this group both in that support but also in that playing capacity,” she said.

But Hadley knows that Saturday’s match won’t be won just through her involvement, that of her midcourt, or the starting seven.

Hadley says Australia just need to pick themselves up from the loss and keep moving. Picture: Ashley Vlotman via Getty Images

“I fully believe to win this we’re going to need all 12 of us and I think the changes and injections that we have are bloody awesome,” she said.

“So while I want to be playing out there, I know it’s going to take all of us to get over to the line to that gold medal match and then to win it.

“But personally, I’m stoked to even get to the start line of this tournament and be in good shape and just having a real hot crack out there in whatever role it is.”

Playing Super Netball has lifted the standard of players around the world, including the six members of the Jamaican team who will line up with full knowledge of the Diamonds athletes they will face in the semi.

But Marinkovich and Hadley have flipped the script on that one, saying the Aussies take just as much advantage from playing the likes of defenders Shamera Sterling, Latanya Wilson and Jodi-Ann Ward, as well as talismanic shooter Jhaniele Fowler each week.

The Sunshine Girls are a formidable opponent. Picture: Ashley Vlotman via Getty Images

“They’re certainly very confident and they’re very focused in what they’re doing,” Marinkovich said of the Jamaicans.

“You’ve got six of them in high performance programs in Australia and they’ve certainly evolved and they’re very hungry, so they’re certainly displaying that out on court.

“(But) I think the skill sets that they show, we’ve been up against that all year.

“I think with that understanding, it’s actually being able to adapt and shift in actual scenarios – being able to connect and use your court space and have the courage to go for the ball as well.”

Courage will be another key for the Diamonds.

The crowd in Cape Town will be firmly behind the Sunshine Girls and the Aussies will have to combat the noise and what Marinkovich termed “perceived pressure” much better than they did against England.

And history.

No Diamonds team has fallen at the semi-final hurdle before at a pinnacle even – World Cup or Commonwealth Games.

It’s not something that will even enter their minds though, Hadley said.

“I don’t think you can afford to think about things like that,” she said.

“No matter who we’re going to come up against, whether it was going to be South Africa, New Zealand, or Jamaica, they’re the moments you play for – they’re the moments you want to be a part of.

“No matter whether we crossed over against New Zealand or Jamaica, we’re in the same position in terms of it being a must win game to get into that gold medal match.

“I’m excited for the challenge. No one really wants Australia to win, so why not go out there and do it.”

Originally published as Australian Diamonds pick themselves up and dust themselves off after shock loss to England Roses