Australia national netball team
The Australia national netball team, commonly known as the Australian Diamonds (or Origin Diamonds for sponsorship reasons) represent Australia in international netball tests and competitions. The team was formed in 1938 and played that year in the first international game of netball against New Zealand.
Nickname(s) | Diamonds | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Netball Australia | ||
Head coach | Stacey Marinkovich | ||
Captain | Caitlin Bassett | ||
Most caps | Liz Ellis (122) | ||
INF ranking | 1 | ||
| |||
First international | |||
Australia 40 – 11 New Zealand Melbourne, 1938 | |||
Largest win | |||
Australia 113 - 12 Singapore Sydney, 1991 | |||
Largest defeat | |||
New Zealand 61 - 36 Australia Auckland, 2005 | |||
World Championships | |||
Appearances | 15 (Debuted in 1963) | ||
2019 placing | 2nd | ||
Titles won | 11 | ||
Commonwealth Games | |||
Appearances | 6 (Debuted in 1998) | ||
2018 placing | 2nd | ||
Best result | First (1998, 2002, 2014) |
The Diamonds are administered by Netball Australia, the national governing body for netball in Australia.
History
The Australia national netball team originates in 1934, when female players participating in what was then known as women's basketball at a national carnival in Brisbane, were later selected for the sport's first international match against New Zealand in Melbourne on 20 August 1938.[1] The outbreak of the Second World War delayed a three-match tour of New Zealand to 1948, which the Australian side won handsomely against their trans-tasman opponents.[1] Their first match against non-Kiwi opposition occurred in 1956, when the team played a Sri Lankan composite side on the way to a staggering 57-game tour of the United Kingdom, which featured tests against Scotland and England, of which the latter was played before 5,000 people at Wembley Stadium.[1]
The sport harmonised its rules in time for the inaugural World Championships in 1963, which Australia won.[1] The Diamonds dominance of international netball continued thereafter, winning 11 of the next 14 World Championship (since renamed the Netball World Cup) titles and coming second only to New Zealand. Since netball's inclusion in the Commonwealth Games in 1998, the Diamonds have won three gold medals, having lost twice in finals to New Zealand and once (quite recently in 2018) to England. Their historical success has ensured their number one ranking in the INF World Rankings.
Australia's fiercest rival in the sport is New Zealand, nicknamed the Silver Ferns. As of October 2013, the two nations had met in 115 test matches with just 13 victories separating the teams.[2] Then national team coach Norma Plummer labelled it "the one game you want to play in...it's exhilarating because it's the best in the world, nothing else beats it."[2] Famous Australian wins over the Silver Ferns include a five-goal win at the 1983 World Championships and a memorable one-goal win with seconds to spare in the final of the 1999 tournament, which was played in Christchurch before a hostile audience.[3] The Diamonds have won eight of nine Constellation Cups between the nations. The team has met the Silver Ferns in several World Cup finals, winning the gold medal match in Sydney in 2015 but losing the equivalent match in Liverpool four years later.
In more recent years, Australia have developed a keen rivalry with the England Roses. The Roses' thrilling win over the Diamonds in the final match of the 2018 Commonwealth Games was labelled "the biggest gold medal upset in the history of the Commonwealth Games" by The Australian.[4]
Prior to 2008 the team was simply known as the Australian national netball team. In the second half of the year Netball Australia formally adopted the nickname the Diamonds, a concept familiar to most other Australian sporting teams, including the women's national basketball team, the Opals.[5] Lisa Alexander took over as head coach from former national team player Norma Plummer in August 2011.[6] Alexander's tenure ended in March 2020. She was the most capped Diamonds coach, managing the team for 102 test matches.[7] Later that year, Netball Australia announced Stacey Marinkovich (then-current coach of the West Coast Fever) as the new appointee to the position.[8]
When competing at the Fast5 Netball World Series, the team is referred to as the Fast5 Flyers.[9]
Competitive record
Netball World Cup | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Championship | Location | Placing |
1963 | 1st World Championships | Eastbourne, England | 1st |
1967 | 2nd World Championships | Perth, Australia | 2nd |
1971 | 3rd World Championships | Kingston, Jamaica | 1st |
1975 | 4th World Championships | Auckland, New Zealand | 1st |
1979 | 5th World Championships | Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago | Joint 1st |
1983 | 6th World Championships | Singapore | 1st |
1987 | 7th World Championships | Glasgow, Scotland | Joint 2nd |
1991 | 8th World Championships | Sydney, Australia | 1st |
1995 | 9th World Championships | Birmingham, England | 1st |
1999 | 10th World Championships | Christchurch, New Zealand | 1st |
2003 | 11th World Championships | Kingston, Jamaica | 2nd |
2007 | 12th World Championships | Auckland, New Zealand | 1st |
2011 | 13th World Championships | Singapore | 1st |
2015 | 14th World Cup | Sydney, Australia | 1st |
2019 | 15th World Cup | Liverpool, England | 2nd |
Netball at the Commonwealth Games | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Games | Event | Location | Placing |
1998 | XVI Games | 1st Netball | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 1st |
2002 | XVII Games | 2nd Netball | Manchester, England | 1st |
2006 | XVIII Games | 3rd Netball | Melbourne, Australia | 2nd |
2010 | XIX Games | 4th Netball | Delhi, India | 2nd |
2014 | XX Games | 5th Netball | Glasgow, Scotland | 1st |
2018 | XXI Games | 6th Netball | Gold Coast, Australia | 2nd |
Fast5 World Netball Series | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Tournament | Location | Placing |
2009 | 1st World Series | Manchester, England | 3rd |
2010 | 2nd World Series | Liverpool, England | 4th |
2011 | 3rd World Series | Liverpool, England | 3rd |
2012 | 4th World Series | Auckland, New Zealand | sixth |
2013 | 5th World Series | Auckland, New Zealand | 2nd |
2014 | 6th World Series | Auckland, New Zealand | 2nd |
2016 | 7th World Series | Melbourne, Australia | 2nd |
2017 | 8th World Series | Melbourne, Australia | 3rd |
2018 | 9th World Series | Melbourne, Australia | 3rd |
Netball at the World Games | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Games | Event | Location | Placing |
1985 | 2nd World Games | 1st Netball | London, England | 2nd |
1989 | 3rd World Games | 2nd Netball | Karlsruhe, Germany | 2nd |
1993 | 4th World Games | 3rd Netball | The Hague, Netherlands | 1st |
Players
Current Diamonds Squad
The current roster was selected for the 2019 Constellation Cup.[10]
Australian Diamonds roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Player profiles: Team website | Last updated: 19/09/2019 |
Notable past players
- Liz Ellis AM: Most capped Australian Netball player with 122 test caps. Liz has commentated the majority of Netball matches played in Australia for the ANZ Championship and the Constellation Cup since 2008. Ellis is currently a Wide World of Sports commentator for the Suncorp Super Netball league.
- Sharelle McMahon: Represented Australia in 118 tests spanning 14 years. Known for shooting the final-second winning shot in the 1999 Netball World Cup final. Sharelle is currently a 9/Gem Commentator for the Suncorp Super Netball league.
- Catherine Cox: Accumulated 108 Test caps and more than 2000 goals for Australia. Cath is currently a 9/Gem Commentator for the Suncorp Super Netball league.
- Norma Plummer: Former player and captain and is the former coach of the Australian Diamonds and of the West Coast Fever. She is the former coach of the SPAR Proteas
- Vicki Wilson: Has 104 test caps to her name. Coach of the Firebirds 2006–2009, was a commentator for Network Ten and an assistant coach of New Zealand.
- Kathryn Harby-Williams: Fierce defender for Australia with 94 test caps.
- Rosalie Jencke: Defender for Australia with 43 test caps. Former coach of the Queensland Firebirds.
- Shelley O'Donnell: Played for Australia for 10 years with 80 test caps.
- Anne Sargeant OAM: Shooter for Australia. 52 test caps to her name in a period with many fewer annual test matches compared to 2001–2013. Anne is currently a 9/Gem Commentator for the Suncorp Super Netball league and is the selector for the national team.
- Michelle den Dekker: Defender for Australia with 84 test caps and was captain in 1985–86 and from 1988 to 1995. Den Dekker was also the coach of the Thunderbirds[11] and has been a specialist coach for the national team as well.
- Natalie von Bertouch: Mid-courter for Australia with 76 tests and captain from 2010 to 2013.
- Sharni Layton: Defender for Australia with 46 tests caps.
Most-capped Australian netballers
Source: Past Players (Netball Australia)
Name | Test Caps | State | Test Team Years |
Liz Ellis | 122 | NSW | 1993–2007 |
Sharelle McMahon | 118 | VIC | 1998–2011 |
Catherine Cox | 108 | NSW | 1997, 2000–2013 |
Vicki Wilson | 104 | QLD | 1985–1999 |
Caitlin Bassett | 100 | WA | 2008–Present |
Kathryn Harby-Williams | 94 | SA | 1990, 1992–2003 |
Carissa Tombs | 91 | NSW | 1989–1999 |
Natalie Medhurst | 86 | SA | 2007–2020 |
Michelle den Dekker | 84 | SA | 1985–1986, 1988–1995 |
Shelley O'Donnell | 80 | VIC | 1990–1999 |
Natalie von Bertouch | 76 | SA | 2004–2013 |
Kimberlee Green | 74 | NSW | 2008–2015 |
Laura Geitz | 71 | QLD | 2008–2018 |
Susan Pettitt | 71 | NSW | 2006–2018 |
Kit suppliers
Australia's kits are supplied by Coast2Coast. The team sponsors are Samsung, Nissan, Suncorp and Woolworths.[12]
Home Courts
The Diamonds use many different home courts around Australia. The courts they most commonly use are:
Venue | Capacity | City |
---|---|---|
Qudos Bank Arena | 18,200 | Sydney |
RAC Arena | 14,846 | Perth |
Brisbane Entertainment Centre | 11,000 | Brisbane |
Adelaide Entertainment Centre | 10,500 | Adelaide |
Melbourne Arena | 10,500 | Melbourne |
AIS Arena | 5,200 | Canberra |
See also
References
- "Australian Diamonds History". Netball Australia. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018.
- "Diamonds vs Silver Ferns: Old foes' biggest rivalry". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 October 2013.
- "Nothing bigger than Diamonds against the Silver Ferns". The Australian. 14 October 2017.
- "Commonwealth Games 2018: Netball final ends in misery for devastated Diamonds". The Australian. 15 April 2018.
- Lulham, Amanda (9 September 2008). "Our girl's dazzling new look". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 September 2008.
- "Alexander is new Australia netball coach". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 August 2011.
- "Australian Diamonds Coach To Step Aside". Netball Australia. 11 February 2020.
- "Stacey Marinkovich appointed Australian Diamonds head coach". Sky Sports. 29 August 2020.
- http://netball.com.au/team/australian-fast5-flyers/
- "Samsung Diamonds Constellation Cup Team Announced". Netball Australia. 18 September 2019.
- http://netball.com.au/thunderbirds-appoint-den-dekker-new-coach/
- Samsung Diamonds