Netball Quad Series: Diamonds dominant in third term to defeat New Zealand
Australia’s undefeated streak continues with the Diamonds claiming the Quad Series final against New Zealand - but the Kiwis are fuming after an umpiring howler.
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Australia have underlined their status as favourites for the netball World Cup after beating great rivals New Zealand in the Quad Series final 56-50 to continue their 13-month unbeaten stretch.
Down by four just before halftime in the final in South Africa, the Diamonds closed to within a single goal ahead of the main break and started the third term with a withering 10-3 run to turn the tables, with the Silver Ferns unable to recover.
After beating their great rivals by two goals in the preliminary stages, the Diamonds knew they were in for another tough clash and coach Stacey Marinkovich backed her starting seven to iron out any issues throughout the match, maintaining an unchanged side throughout the game.
It gave a few clues for the World Cup line-up, with recent debutant Amy Parmenter facing an uphill battle to force her way back into the squad for July’s major championship after a dominant showing from returning wing defence Ash Brazill.
The full incident from go to wtf?! #QuadSeriespic.twitter.com/ru7YIn6SqV
— Rachel (@rgell1) January 25, 2023
Had to turn the TV back on to see it for myself... absolutely hilarious 🤣😂 Garbo was still laughing 15 seconds after lol. Would’ve been great to have the coaches in frame 😂 #QuadSerieshttps://t.co/DKUQfIkKvxpic.twitter.com/6bABkdJ2Dj
— Lee (@leeluvzya) January 25, 2023
Brazill finished with four gains, including three intercepts, and her hustle in the second half in particular was key to turning the match in the Aussies’ favour.
Marinkovich opted for five midcourters in her match-day squad, with both Kate Moloney and Jamie-Lee Price earning places on the bench, although neither was ultimately used with Liz Watson and Paige Hadley dominant.
Watson was pleased with the team’s effort, especially against the Ferns’ zone defence and said it would bolster her team’s belief ahead of the World Cup which will also be held in Cape Town in six months’ time.
“I’m really, really happy with that one,” Watson said of the win.
“We played New Zealand two times here and I think we built in that second match.
“It’s really confidence-building for us. We put out a great last quarter and that’s what we’ve been wanting to do this whole series, so it’s great to have that win.”
Goal attack Steph Wood won player of the match honours after again showing incredible ability to read the game and bamboozle the defence.
Wood’s Sunshine Coast Lightning clubmate Cara Koenen won the starting spot at goal shooter ahead of Sophie Garbin and looks to have a lock on a World Cup place.
But the final make-up of the shooting squad will ultimately depend on whether Gretel Bueta makes herself available for selection.
“It was a really tough match out there, a quality one and every time we come up against the Ferns they’re just getting better and better,” Wood said.
“It was a great game and I’m proud of our group, we’re slowly putting four quarters together.”
The Diamonds dominated the second half of the final and remained unfazed by an extraordinary umpiring gaffe in the final term to claim a seventh Quad Series title.
With the Ferns trailing by seven in the last quarter, captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio sank a shot while New Zealand goal shooter Grace Nweke and Diamonds goal defence Courtney Bruce tussled in the background.
But with controlling umpire Anso Kemp having an eye on the Nweke-Bruce niggle, she missed the Ekenasio shot falling, while back-court umpire Gary Burgess was also distracted, leading to the goal being denied and a toss-up awarded.
The Ferns ultimately won possession and scored next though, with the issue having no effect on the outcome despite being what commentators called an “extraordinary” lapse from the officials.
Bruce and Nweke were among the best players in Cape Town, with Bruce named defender of the tournament and 20-year-old shooter Nweke, the player of the tournament.
The Diamonds kickstarted an unbeaten year by winning the Quad Series in London last year ahead of wins at the Commonwealth Games, Constellation Cup and a series victory over England’s Roses.
They hold every major trophy in the game except the World Cup, which they lost in 2019, going down by a single goal in the final to New Zealand.
Quad Series final: AUSTRALIA 56 (Koenen 33, Wood 23) def NEW ZEALAND 50 ( Nweke 39, Ekenasio 11).
Third-place playoff: ENGLAND 49 (Cardwell 23, Housby 17, Tchine 9) def SOUTH AFRICA 42 (Potgieter 30, Taljaard 10, Venter 2).
7 NOTES FROM NETBALL QUAD SERIES
Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich is likely to give an early insight into her World Cup plans when she names Australia’s line-up for Thursday morning’s Quad Series final against New Zealand.
Australia earnt its place in the decider in Cape Town after winning its opening two matches of the tournament against England and the Kiwis and used Wednesday morning’s (AEDT) final round clash against South Africa to test combinations.
The Diamonds beat the Proteas 65-48 while resting captain Liz Watson and vice-captain Steph Wood, while Sunshine Coast Lightning defender Tara Hinchliffe made her debut, playing half a game at goal defence.
Hinchliffe is likely to be named again for the final, with the Diamonds taking just four defenders on tour, although her selection as an injury replacement for Jo Weston ahead of recent debutant and Commonwealth Games travelling reserve Ruby Bakewell-Doran and regular Diamonds squad member Maddy Turner, shows coach staff are casting an eye to the future outside the established top four defenders.
The shooting end is also relatively set, with young gun Sophie Dwyer winning her first time of the tour with half a game against South Africa, although she is likely to miss the final with Wood to be brought back into the rotation.
As ever, it’s the incredibly deep midcourt where the questions remain.
Watson will return at wing attack, while Paige Hadley is likely to be the preferred option to start at centre.
But which two of Ash Brazill, Kate Moloney and Jamie-Lee Price will join them remains a question.
Brazill opted out of the domestic Test window at the end of last year to spend time with family following the Commonwealth Games and was rested from the Quad Series opener.
But she was immediately back to her best against the Silver Ferns and is likely to get the nod at wing defence.
That would leave a toss-up between Moloney and Price, as has been the case in major tournaments for the last year.
Moloney sat out the Quad Series final in England last year with Price winning the final midcourt position in the match-day squad, while the former won the nod for the Commonwealth Games over Price.
Add to their battle recent debutants Maddy Proud and Amy Parmenter, as well as the likes of former Diamonds Kim Ravaillion and Kelsey Browne, who continue to put pressure on squad members and Marinkovich has a group continually pushing each other to greater heights.
It’s that competitive culture she believes is responsible for the Diamonds’ recent success.
“I think there’s a real competitiveness in our environment full stop,” Marinkovich said.
“They push each other in everything they do.
“We’ve got all our players playing in the Suncorp Super Netball league and with their club franchises with a huge amount of expertise around the players, so they’re being challenged throughout their pre-season, so when they come to us they’re continuing to push the level.
“When we get them together we get them to a new level. Players know that they have to come in at a certain standard to perform.
“There’s a real commitment that they do their work when they’re not together so that when we do come together we can train at a level that hopefully pushes to what game intensity looks like so that there’s no surprises for when we step out on court.”
Likely Diamonds squad for final: Cara Koenen, Steph Wood, Liz Watson (capt), Paige Hadley, Ash Brazill, Sunday Aryang, Courtney Bruce. Reserves: Kiera Austin, Sophie Garbin, Jamie-Lee Price, Sarah Klau, Tara Hinchliffe.
But while Australia look the team to beat in 2023, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing with the tournament tossing up plenty of questions as all four nations begin the countdown to a World Cup in South Africa in July this year.
1. Wood the key influence in Diamonds’ attack
Goal attack Steph Wood is the barometer for Australia. When she is busy, active and shooting well the team goes on a scoring run.
In their pool match with New Zealand it was Wood’s dominant third term, where she used her speed to expose defender Kelly Jury, for a seven-goal blitz on the way to a two point victory.
Australia had trailed by up to eight goals against the Silver Ferns until Wood found a way to run circles around the 20cm taller Jury.
The Diamonds won’t want to repeat their slow start in the final.
2. Who is Australia’s best shooter?
Despite not playing against the Silver Ferns, goal shooter Sophie Garbin has proved formidable through the series.
She should get the start over Cara Koenan at goal shooter after her dominant performance shooting 32 goals from 36 attempts in three quarters against South Africa.
Garbin has made an impact every time she has entered the court but may be overlooked due to Koenan and goal attack Steph Wood strong combination through playing together with Sunshine Coast in the Super Netball Series.
Garbin and Wood also work well together and could prove to be a deadly combination with more court time together as Australia search for an attacking replacement for Gretel Bueta ahead of the World Cup.
3. The umpires aren’t scared to make big calls.
South African goalkeeper Phumza Maweni’s send off in the final minutes of the draw with England sent a message to all defenders that umpires are not afraid to rule on rough play at crucial moments.
Maweni was initially cautioned in the third quarter for contact with a final warning occurring early in the final quarter.
Umpire Angela Armstrong-Lush made a confident decision to send off Maweni after another contact.
In England’s game against New Zealand usually clean defender Geva Mentor was also cautioned in the first term.
The Diamonds are known for their tight one-on-one defensive style with the team holding more penalties for contact and obstruction than their opponents in their two first matches.
With umpires confident enough to send players from the court the Diamonds need to be cautious coming into the final.
4. All is not Roses in England camp
Last Quad Series England was the Diamond’s biggest threat.
This series they have remained winless and will be playing South Africa for a chance at third place.
Roses coach Jess Thirlby’s future is in question with the upcoming World Cup later this year.
Thirlby made confusing choices this series such as taking superstar goalkeeper Give Mentor off the court with seven minutes to go in their match against New Zealand.
There are whispers the team is divided, some backing the coach and others wanting change before the World Cup.
Vision of Helen Housby’s deathly glare in a team huddle after a game has been viewed by many that all is not well in the Roses camp.
5. Oops. Anthem embarrassment for Diamonds
The Diamonds better check with organisers before each international just which version of the national anthem they intend to play after everyone was caught off guard in the opener when the full version of Advance Australia Fair was heard.
After listening to the first verse Diamonds players and staff walked away from their line up to begin to prepare for the match against England while even the commentators started their pre-game discussion.
Then the young South African singer Gugulethu Ndzendze continued with the second verse.
This left players scrambling back to their line-up and commentators to think of awkward jokes while the end of the national anthem was finished after the second verse.
The anthem moment pic.twitter.com/nStuBHiV4L
— Amy (@amy001m) January 22, 2023
6. Diamonds depth looking strong
With superstars Jo Weston and Gretel Bueta out for the Quad series for Australia, it was essential for the Diamonds to have a backup plan.
The late inclusion of Tara Hinchcliffe into the squad and changes to the defence end with Courtney Bruce playing goal defence have been a smooth transition for the Diamonds.
The selection of Sophie Garbin over Donnell Wallam for this series has been a beneficial choice for Marinkovich. With Garbin being an effective interchange through the series.
7. The third quarter is crucial
They don’t call is the Championship quarter for no reason – as the Diamonds have shown this series.
In Australia’s first game against England they trailed early, but a 17-9 third term set the stage for the 61-55 victory.
Against New Zealand the Diamond’s were behind by one goal at half-time, but a 16-14 third quarter set them on the path for a two-goal win.
In the Diamonds final match against South Africa their 16-10 third quarter was also their strongest.
Whatever coach Stacey Marinkovich is saying at half-time, it’s working.
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Originally published as Netball Quad Series: Diamonds dominant in third term to defeat New Zealand
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