Netball World Cup 2023: Australian Diamonds given wake-up call in 70-46 win over Malawi

They may have run away with it in the end, but the Diamonds dodged an almighty scare against Malawi, leaving question marks over their bid for World Cup glory.

The Diamonds have survived a scare against Malawi in the challenge they needed as the netball World Cup approaches its final stages.

The Diamonds eventually prevailed comfortably, winning 70-46 but it was far from the canter their first four games at the tournament have been.

The Queens were always going to provide a physical test, as they had against England earlier in the week.

But few would have predicted they would head into halftime on level terms with the world No.1.

The early stages did not surprise coach Stacey Marinkovich though.

“Malawi are very good at holding possession,” she said.

“I thought they showed their athleticism, they were persistent in their movement – which we fully expected – they just play a little bit different.

“The line of the ball and the pace at which they play is quite unorthodox, so you’ve just got to get your head around it and both teams were scoring quite well, so it was just a tussle.”

Steph Wood shoots. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023.

Having established a six-goal lead in the term, thanks in part to impeccable shooting from Cara Koenen and Steph Wood and treasuring possession, the Diamonds wilted under pressure after a couple of turnovers, umpiring calls they questioned and the relentless physical presence of their opponents.

Skipper Liz Watson was a workhorse for the Aussies, finishing with 20 goal assists and 28 feeds as she controlled the midcourt and kept the Diamonds on an even keel as things started to wobble late in the second term.

Watson was the only player to run out the whole game, coach Stacey Marinkovich still managing to rotate her troops despite being under pressure.

Goaler Steph Wood was named player of the match after contributing 18 goals from 19 attempts, as well as having 13 goal assists and 17 feeds.

Wood was called on to contribute a greater volume of goals than usual, with first Koenen and then Sophie Garbin, sweated on under the post.

The final scoreline gave no indication of the pressure the Aussies were under but it will do them a world of good ahead of Thursday’s clash against England, which will determine the Diamonds’ semi-final seeding.

Liz Watson finds herself under pressure from Grace Mwafulirwa. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023.

“We spoke as a team and earmarked this game as one that was going to give us a bit of everything,” Marinkovich said of the preparation the Malawi clash would provide.

“A team that can hold possession and play short, which resembles other teams that we’ll come up against; some physicality, some body presence and contests on; some athleticism.

“So we thought it was a great one for us to have to adapt and shift in different moments to be able to work through tight games and be really comfortable in that grind and I thought we looked relaxed out there.

“I don’t think there was any panic or faze, we just really needed to keep connected and everyone knew what they needed to do.”

The match started at a cracking pace, with The Diamonds taking a three-goal lead to the opening break and pushing the margin out to six before the Queens fought back through both their own pressure and a few Diamonds errors.

The injection of fresh legs from Marinkovich in the third term paid immediate dividends.

Sophie Garbin came in for Koenen at goal shooter and made life easy for her feeders with the space she was able to hold under the goal.

Koenen had by no means done a bad job – she missed just one of her 15 shots while Garbin finished with a shooting percentage of 87.5 per cent after four misses.

But in a horses for courses policy, Garbin was the right woman for the job against the physical Queens.

Mwai Kumwenda takes possession for Malawi. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023.

Jo Weston came on at goal defence for Klau and Jamie-Lee Price was injected late in the third, with both notching gains soon after they came on.

Weston’s consistent arms over pressure led to her notching three gains and she said the Aussies had known relentless effort would be the key to the match.

“We knew that the game would be quite tight, especially in the first quarter and maybe the first half,” Weston said.

“But we knew that if we were persistent, especially in our defensive pressure, we’d be able to force them into errors and be able to win ball all over the court, which is what has been really amazing with our whole team this tournament.”

The relentless pressure paid off, with the Aussies going to the final break up by 12.

Melbourne Vixens star Mwai Kumwenda, the centre of internal brouhaha in the Malawi camp last week, finished with 21 goals in a strong game in tandem with Joyce Mvula.

SCOREBOARD

AUSTRALIA 70 (Garbin 28, Wood 18, Koenen 14, Austin 10)

MALAWI 46 (Mvula 25, Kumwenda 21)

Originally published as Netball World Cup 2023: Australian Diamonds given wake-up call in 70-46 win over Malawi