Netball World Cup final: Australia set up rematch with England after defeating Jamaica in semi-final
Australia are through to the Netball World Cup final after a rollercoaster semi-final victory over Jamaica, setting up a rematch with old foes England for gold.
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The Diamonds have set up a World Cup final rematch against their preliminary round conqueror England after outlasting Jamaica 56-53 in a frantic semi-final clash.
The Sunshine Girls came back from a six-goal deficit in the third quarter to regain the lead in the last term leaving Australia with flashbacks to their loss to England two days earlier.
But the Diamonds learned their lessons well from that match and managed to regain their composure to stay in the contest, with a crucial Courtney Bruce intercept breaking the game open for the Aussies in the final minutes.
Bruce attracted plenty of whistle in the opening half attempting to stop the flow of ball into her West Coast Fever teammate and Jamaican shooter, the 198cm Jhaniele Fowler.
But after she and captain Liz Watson sought explanations from the umpires at halftime, she adjusted her angles well and won three critical gains, including the game-changing intercept in the dying minutes.
“To be honest, it just felt like training,” Bruce said of going up against Fowler in the Jamaican captain’s 100th Test.
“When you come up against Jhaniele you might not get every single ball but one in 10 is okay. I knew those moments would come with our full court pressure and that wasn’t going to come in the first quarter.
“So I just went out there to try and fatigue her so that in that last quarter we’d get as much ball as possible.”
Bruce was named player of the match for her game-changing performance but it must have been a close call, with Watson contributing an incredible 50 feeds as the Diamonds battled to get the ball into the circle under constant attention from Super Netball defenders Shamera Sterling, Latanya Wilson and Jodi-Ann Ward.
Watson was shadowed by Wilson in the first half before Ward moved out to wing defence to tag the captain.
“To be honest, I think it’s their whole defensive unit and how they work together (that’s so tough),” Watson said of the Jamaican defenders.
“I think we played really smart with the ball, we were very, very patient, we had the movement.
“I think Steph did an incredible job with the ball in that front, sweep in, and we were able to get those feeds.
“But just so proud to be part of this group, it was an incredible team performance and I think the team defence got us the win in the end (through) that pressure.”
Wood must also have come into MVP consideration after contributing 28 goals at 90 per cent accuracy, as well as 14 goal assists, 17 feeds and 19 centre pass receives in a full-game showing.
“It was a cracking game but (we’re going to) rest up because we didn’t come here just to win a semi-final, we came here to win gold,” Wood said.
THE GAME
In a near carbon copy of the earlier semi-final between England and New Zealand, the teams headed to the first and second breaks locked together and while the Aussies held a two-goal lead at the final change, Jamaica tied it up again early in the fourth following an early gain.
It was a nervous start for the Diamonds really, with a few uncharacteristic errors.
The Aussies struggled to get the ball into the circle easily, with shooter Cara Koenen, in particular, under massive pressure from Sterling.
The Thunderbirds keeper picked up an early caution but changed little about her match until the final term when she was handed a warning when colliding with Koenen while the goaler was still in the air.
A six-goal lead midway through the third quarter should have given Australia control of the game heading into the final break.
But a couple of errors again left the Diamonds frazzled and Jamaica briefly took the lead before the Aussies pushed to a two-goal lead at the final break.
Again the Jamaicans hit back, testing the Aussies’ resolve, especially after their loss under similar circumstances to England just 48 hours earlier.
“They knew that we didn’t play the way we would have liked against England - we needed to address that and we needed to find that next level,” coach Stacey Marinkovich said after the match.
“It’s been building. We’ve had bits and pieces of it through the tournament but to play Jamaica you need it for 60 minutes.
“So I guess it was around the commitment. We knew that we’d need more than (just) the seven out on court and it was just making the right timing to inject (players).
“I thought everyone that came on did what they needed to do and then those who came back on continued where they left off.
“It was just regrouping and getting focused on what we actually look like when we’re playing well.”
LEVEL HEADS NEEDED
Again it was perceived pressure, rather than an actual deficit on the scoreboard that hurt the Diamonds.
Up by six goals midway through the third term, the Diamonds had quietened the pro-Jamaica crowd but an error was compounded by another and another as the noise increased and the heart rates rose.
Impressively, they were able to turn things around before the end of the quarter, although their lost their two-goal advantage early in the final term as the Sunshine Girls fought back again.
“I’ll give the credit to Lizzy (Watson) here,” Wood said of the captain standing up when needed.
“I probably went a bit silent but she was the one that was connecting us in our attack end and saying ‘it’s okay, this is going to happen in games’.
“She really stood up in our attack end and controlled that whole attack end and was able to really stem that flow and keep us calm and push on in that fourth quarter even when Jamaica jumped out and had a bit of a lead we were able to stay calm.”
That pressure will go to another level in the final, with the entire crowd likely to be against Australia in the decider.
But Wood said it was not an unfamiliar feeling.
“We experienced that at Comm Games last year where I think the whole of Birmingham except for our family and friends were going for Jamaica in that final,” she said.
“We’ve been able to do it in the build up to this World Cup, it’s not unknown to us.
“We thrive on the noise whether it’s for you or against you.”
UMPIRING FRUSTRATION
Australia’s defenders were constantly frustrated by umpires Gareth Fowler and Gary Burgess in the early stages, with captain Watson and goalkeeper Bruce seeking counsel at halftime after having several fouls called as Fowler stepped in to improve her angle.
Bruce made some strong adjustments in the second half and ultimately reaped the rewards and she’ll have to do the same in the final against England.
Adjusting to international umpires and what has seemed to be less tolerance of physicality in the circle has taken some adjustment from defenders, especially those coming from Super Netball.
“We always knew coming into this tournament that the umpiring was going to be a bit different to what we’re used to in SSN (Super Netball),” Bruce said.
“But we’ve got opportunities to play different styles (of defence) to adapt to the umpiring.
“I think when we just go out there we want to defend for four seconds and then it’s in the umpires’ hands to call it.
“But we’ve got a lot of defenders that can come on and play a different style depending on what we need and I think that’s the best thing about this group is the variety to combat any team.”
BRING ON ENGLAND
Marinkovich was busy completing her “homework” on Saturday night in Cape Town, making sure she leaves nothing to chance when the Aussies line up against England in the final on Sunday night.
Every piece of tape will be studied again, with the coach already having a headstart on her work after watching the Roses’ narrow win over New Zealand in the early semi-final.
“In these games, as much as players can’t leave any stone unturned or take a chance to have courage, you’ve got to do that as a coach,” she said.
“Sometimes it doesn’t come off and sometimes it does.
“I fully back everyone on our bench, I think you saw that (in the semi-final) and if we need those rotations or we need to start something different, that’s my job to put that out there.
“I know I’ve got the backing of the girls and they back each other whoever is on or off the court.
“We’ve done some of our homework already but we’ve certainly got a little bit to do before tomorrow.”
Watson said there was relief having made it through the semi-final but the job was not yet done.
“I think to be honest those games are probably the hardest, to actually get into the gold medal match no matter who you’re playing against,” Watson said.
“But we learnt a lot last time we played against England, so that’s probably an advantage going into this game.
“We’ve played them, we experienced them, we felt it.
“But I think it’s just exciting. We set high expectations of ourselves, we want to be in that gold medal match - we’ve said that right from the start.
“So now it’s about going, doing the hard work … and we’re ready for it tomorrow.”
ROSES STUN NZ TO SECURE HISTORIC WORLD CUP FINAL BERTH
By Emma Greenwood
One of the big two is out.
England will play the final of the Netball World Cup for the first time in their history after outlasting world No.2 New Zealand 46-40 in a thrilling semi-final in Cape Town.
With scores level at the end of the first, second and third periods and well into the final term, extra time seemed the most likely outcome.
But flying Fran Williams, the defender widely tipped to be heading Down Under next season to play Super Netball, snared an intercept with just over four minutes remaining to give the Roses the break that sealed their victory.
It was the straw that broke the back of the Silver Ferns, so resilient this tournament after losing star goal shooter Grace Nweke early in the preliminary stages.
The teams had gone goal for goal, error for error through the opening three quarters, with Kiwi coach Noeling Taurua bringing a game plan that seemed to blunt the Roses early on.
Losses by the Ferns and Diamonds in the preliminary rounds led to thoughts there could be a shift from the Antipodean power base of the sport and New Zealand’s loss means a final without either of the world’s top two could be on the cards.
Australia was to meet Jamaica in the second semi-final played overnight.
The Roses didn’t take the easy route though.
England’s goalers, so confident all week, suddenly seemed timid at times in the circle.
Having shot the lights out against Australia, missing just one goal between them, Housby and Cardwell finished with 46-of-54 attempts overall, with Cardwell missing six shots, four of them in the first half.
#NWC: England into the World Cup final for the first time. Are there better players in the game under pressure than Helen Housby? #SuperNetball#metball#nettyTwitterpic.twitter.com/BrEXSd12wY
— Emma Greenwood (@EmmaGreenwood12) August 5, 2023
Since the release of the draw, the Ferns had expected to meet England in the semis, although they had believed it would be with them having topped their pool and the Roses having come second to Australia.
That ultimately wasn’t the case but Dame Noeline Taurua’s plan to stave Housby of opportunity worked wonders, while using the 192cm Kelly Jury at goalkeeper, rather than wing defence, where she has run for much of the week, was a masterstroke against Cardwell early.
Housby was starved of ball in the circle early, taking just eight shots to halftime.
But she came into her own in the second half, showing as she has time and again for the NSW Swifts how much she loves the big moment and thrives under pressure.
She finished with 21-of-23 shooting, as well as having nine goal assists, 12 feeds and 12 centre pass receives in a workaholic effort.
New Zealand’s shooters were outstanding, missing just one goal between them but the constant pressure from England wore them down over time.
The Kiwis were up by three goals early but the teams went to the opening break level after a Mentor intercept helped her team get back on level terms when the gain was converted at the other end.
In a seesawing match, England pushed their advantage out to three goals in the second term before New Zealand hit back with a gain leading into halftime and levelled the scores at 20-20 seconds before the long break.
Again the scores were level at the final break following a Kiwi turnover in the dying seconds prevented them from taking a lead into three-quarter time, with Housby sinking the pressure-packed shot to tie the game up again.
Gains to Williams and Imogen Allison turned the tide for England, with the margin eventually six goals.
ENGLAND 46 (Cardwell 25, Housby 21) NEW ZEALAND 40 (Wilson 25, Ekenasio 16)
Originally published as Netball World Cup final: Australia set up rematch with England after defeating Jamaica in semi-final
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