Netball World Cup: Two Super Netball Games left for Diamonds squad contenders to impress
Diamonds selectors will run a close eye over the weekend’s Super Netball games, with just two rounds left before they name their World Cup squad. See who’s still in the mix here.
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Battles for Diamonds midcourt spots kick up a gear this weekend when the Swifts and Giants go head-to-head in the NSW derby.
While pride is on the line for both teams — with the Swifts unable to be dislodged from the top four and the Giants unable to make the finals — there’s plenty to play for, especially for members of the wider Diamonds squad, who have just two games left to impress selectors before Australia’s team for the World Cup is named.
Swifts co-captain Paige Hadley is a lock for Cape Town — she captained the Diamonds in her return from a calf injury in last year’s series against the Roses and is in stellar form — as is Vixens wing attack and regular Diamonds skipper Liz Watson, but the two other midcourt spots remain in doubt.
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Giants centre/wing defence Jamie-Lee Price, who missed the Commonwealth Games before bouncing back to dominate in the end-of-year Tests against New Zealand and England, Vixens centre/wing defence Kate Moloney and Swifts centre/wing attack Maddy Proud will likely fight out one of those spots, while wing defence specialists Ash Brazill (Magpies) and Amy Parmenter (Giants), who can both also play at centre, are in a battle for the other.
Price and Parmenter’s Giants will take on Proud and Hadley’s Swifts on Sunday and while the possibility of putting on a gold dress will be in the back of their minds, Proud said the match itself was what the players would be focusing on.
“It’s always ging to be a good battle no matter what the circumstances are,” Proud said.
“For me, going up against a (Kate) Moloney (as she did last week in the Swifts’ win against the Vixens), or a ‘JLP’ (Price), every time you know that it’s going to be a tough battle.
“And there’s probably more on the line when it comes to making sure you win that game rather than the bigger picture in the sense of the World Cup.
“It’s just making sure that on that given day, you put out what you need for your team. The performances that you can put out in clubland are what ultimately determine those (Diamonds) results.”
Proud acknowledged the upcoming decisions posed a “nightmare” for selectors.
“Everyone’s having such great seasons. There’s so many facets to those selections that come down to things like combinations, things like versatility, things like experience or match-ups and I know that the selectors have a very specific plan in mind.
“Even if you do miss out, it mightn’t necessarily be because you haven’t done the right things, it just might be that you’re not exactly what they’re looking for in that particular situation.
“So, to a degree, a lot of it’s out of your hands. But the stuff that is in your hands is making sure you put out consistent performances.”
Proud made her Diamonds debut against the Silver Ferns at the end of last year, with the weight of her Super Netball performances demanding she win a place in the squad.
She has been outstanding again this season and leads Price slightly in stats for goal assists (198 to 184) and feeds with an attempt (249 to 224), as well as having fewer general play turnovers (37 to 45).
Price though, is a ball magnet, having more gains (22 to 11) and intercepts (18 to 7) than Proud, as well as more second phase receives (168 to 149).
While both are also up against the Vixens’ Moloney in the selection race, her positioning at wing defence in several Vixens games means the Melbourne leader’s stats particularly for goal assists and feeds are skewed.
Moloney is, however, most careful with the ball, having just 21 general play turnovers so far this season compared to Proud’s 37 and Price’s 45.
As always, the selectors will spend plenty of time poring over replays, with the final defensive spot also coming down to a race in three.
While Fever incumbent Sunday Aryang has her foot in the door for the final 12, she is under plenty of pressure from Ruby Bakewell-Doran (Firebirds) and Matilda Garrett (Thunderbirds).
Aryang, who made her debut in last year’s Quad Series in England before playing in the Commonwealth Games, Constellation Cup and this year’s Quad in South Africa, has 10 Tests under her belt, while Bakewell-Doran has just two and Diamonds newcomer Garrett is uncapped.
Aryang also has the advantage of playing alongside Australia’s likely starting goalkeeper, Courtney Bruce, at the Fever, with their combination at both club and international level likely to count in her favour.
Bakewell-Doran though has been in outstanding form for the Firebirds and is sitting in third place on the intercept list this season, behind Jamaican defenders Jodi-Ann Ward and Shamera Sterling, just ahead of Bruce, after adding another three to her tally in the Birdies’ win against the Giants last week.
Garrett remains in contention too with her versatility a key given her ability to play all three defensive positions and proven capacity as a role player in a defensive system like the one that has propelled her Thunderbirds to the top of the Super Netball ladder.
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Originally published as Netball World Cup: Two Super Netball Games left for Diamonds squad contenders to impress
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