Netball Nations Cup 2024: Australia to play Uganda for first time in four-nation series

Australia will take on an international rival for the first time in January when the revamped Quad Series takes place. See the full fixture for the tournament here.

Emma Greenwood

3 min read

November 16, 2023 - 7:00PM

Netball

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Australia will meet Uganda for the first time in international netball when a revamped four-nations tournament is held in England in January.

With South Africa committed to other international play at the start of next year, the traditional Quad Series between the Diamonds, England’s Roses, New Zealand’s Silver Ferns and the Proteas will not take place.

But Uganda’s She Cranes - who finished fifth at the World Cup after beating South Africa in a playoff - have stepped up to complete the line-up for the Netball Nations Cup to be held over two weekends in London and Leeds in late January.

Liz Watson (Captain) and Stephanie Wood of Australia with the Quad Series trophy in South Africa in January. With the Proteas involved in other competition and Wood now retired from international netball, the Diamonds face a new challenge in 2024. Photo: Getty Images

The tournament will also mark the first time Australia and England have met since their gold medal playoff at the World Cup, while the Diamonds will also renew their battle against the Ferns on neutral territory after their recent four-match Constellation Cup series was split 2-2.

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich said her players were excited to test themselves against the She Cranes, as well as renew battles with old enemies the Ferns and Roses.

“It’s your one chance to have a tournament style (event) where you’ve got multiple opposition in the one competition,” Marinkovich said of next year’s Cup, an event that for the past two years under the Quad Series banner has acted as a crucial warm-up for the Diamonds’ successful Commonwealth Games and World Cup campaigns.

“We don’t have any more of those (benchmark events) for a little while.”

But the multiple challenges the tournament will throw up gives the Diamonds plenty of motivation to succeed.

“Australia has actually never played Uganda,” Marinkovich said.

Uganda netball star Mary Cholhok is likey to be part of a She Cranes line-up that faces World Cup champions Australia for the first time next January.

“Once that was mentioned, the (Diamonds) players saw that as a really privileged position and one they’re really looking forward to because that’s where your game gets challenged in a completely different way.

“And also you want to see other nations stepping up and they certainly showed at World Cup what they were capable of through different games and periods of time.

“So what do they look like coming in and getting this kind of experience and exposure to ignite what they want to do as a country going forward?”

While Uganda has some outstanding stars, in the likes of shooter Mary Cholhok, who currently players in England’s Netball Super League, Australia is much more familiar with it’s other rivals in the Roses and Silver Ferns.

While the beat England comprehensively in the gold medal match in Cape Town, they still suffered a World Cup loss to the Roses and finished the year by going down twice in New Zealand to lift the Constellation Cup on goal difference alone.

“We’re really proud of what we’ve been able to do (this year) against both nations, but I guess we did have a (World Cup) loss against England, in the rounds, so we, we know what they’re capable of, and particularly when you’re not at your best,” Marinkovich said.

Australian Diamonds captain Liz Watson (L) and New Zealand Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio with the Constellation Cup, won by Australia on goal difference after the series was split 2-2. Photo: Getty Images

“With New Zealand, it was great to bring home the (Constellation Cup) trophy but it certainly didn’t feel as rewarding, only because it was 2-2.

“We’ve both been able to win in our respective countries, so I guess this takes it to a neutral ground.

“New Zealand have been building nicely, they’ve certainly adapted and as we know, they’re a proud nation and they’re not going to stay down for long and we certainly can never be comfortable.”

The She Cranes will compete despite the sport in Uganda going through a tumultuous period, with World Netball last week installing a “normalisation committee” after the National Sports Council of Uganda withdrew its recognition of the Uganda Netball Federation (UNF) due to its failure to adequately address significant governance issues.

The committee includes former Sunshine Coast Lightning goaler Peace Proscovia, who has been installed as an athlete representative following the removal of the former UNF representatives, including president Sarah Babirye Kityo, whose high court application for an injunction against the action was rejected.

The Diamonds’ squad for the Netball Nations Cup will be announced later this month.

NSW Swifts shooter and player of the World Cup Helen Housby and former Swift Natalie Metcalf celebrate after beating the Diamonds in the round stages of the World Cup in Cape Town before the Diamonds won the final. Photo: Getty Images