Diamonds Seized in Trans-Tasman Clash
The Australian Diamonds have shown their team has depth ahead of next month’s World Netball Championships, despite going down to New Zealand 45-42 in the second Test in Auckland on Sunday night.
Included in the Australian Diamonds team were WAIS athletes and world championship bound squad members Caitlin Bassett and Susan Fuhrmann.
With eleven of 12 Diamonds players getting court time in the last match before the world championships, vice captain Catherine Cox said the trialling of new combinations showed promise.
“Going into that game, we were completely confident with that line up, we can put so many different players in different positions and we’re all very confident,” Cox said after the match.
“Having a new line up is a fantastic thing to have, especially leading into a World Championships.”
Norma Plummer rung the changes from Thursday’s opening Test with captain Natalie von Bertouch the only player to retain her position at centre while the experimental starting line up featured four new starters, including Test debutant Sharni Layton at wing defence.
The ANZ Championship’s leading scorer Caitlin Bassett started the match at goal shooter, Catherine Cox moved to goal attack, Laura Geitz to goal defence and Chelsea Pitman and Susan Fuhrmann were rewarded with starts after their impressive performances off the bench in the opening Test.
A New Zealand record netball crowd of 8300 were silenced early when the Diamonds took an early mini break before the hosts found a reply, levelling the scores with two minutes remaining in the quarter.
Caitlin Bassett was well held by Silver Ferns defenders Casey Williams and Katrina Grant forcing Catherine Cox to shoulder much of the Diamonds’ shooting burden early in the match.
New Zealand overcame a two goal deficit, levelling the scores 17-17, with a little over five minutes remaining in the second quarter before the hosts pulled away to a four goal lead on the stroke of half time.
Plummer continued to experiment with combinations in the second half, introducing Natalie Medhurst at goal attack, for Cox, at the main break before further changes at the end of the third quarter with Geitz replacing Fuhrmann at goal keeper, Julie Corletto on goal defence and Mo’onia Gerrard replacing Layton.
With six minutes remaining in the match the Diamonds ified New Zealand’s four goal advantage, levelling the scores at 40-40, ensuring a thrilling finish.
An intercept and strong defence from Casey Williams and a miss from Cox, who had replaced Bassett late in the match, saw the Silver Ferns win by three goals to the delight of the huge crowd.
Despite the loss, Cox was delighted with the team’s performance, including her surprising combination with Bassett in the shooting circle.
“It was something the Silver Ferns have probably never seen before and Australia has never done before with a tall holding shooter like that which we knew was going to be a bit of a shock,” Cox said of playing Bassett at goal shooter.
“We’ve only had a week or so to work on the combination and it’s certainly growing, we just need a little more understanding with the passes but overall it feels really great.”
“It did what we wanted it to do in the first quarter.”
“We’re so fortunately with the ability and talent we’ve got in the team and there are still a lot of combinations we haven’t tried yet so it’s very exciting.”
In the earlier Test against New Zealand:
The Australian Diamonds overcome a four-goal half time deficit to defeat the New Zealand Silver Ferns 52-47 in the first Test at Arena Manawatu in Palmerston North.
In the aftermath, Diamonds coach Norma Plummer conceded that the physical game was not the prettiest she had seen.
“It wasn’t a high quality skilled game from us. I thought we could have done a lot better with the ball but I was pleased with their tenaciousness out there and their commitment and their belief in one another, that was excellent… but certainly, not a pretty game.”
The game was notable for the debut of Chelsea Pitman, who came on in the third quarter for Kim Green at wing attack and immediately had impact in the Diamonds first hit out ahead of next month’s World Netball Championships in Singapore.
Plummer said that Pitman and Susan Fuhrmann, also brought on at three-quarter time, made the difference in the second half for the Diamonds.
“Pitman opened up our attack end for us and delivered the ball really well. The calmness in her game and the way she played it; she didn’t get overawed by it and I think that was a feather in her cap.
“And then with Fuhrmann back, it just allowed Corletto to concentrate a little bit more on her own game instead of worrying about the circle area.”
With the world championships beckoning, neither side took time easing into the first fixture as the traditional rivals set a frantic pace in the Commonwealth Games gold medal rematch.
Momentum swung like a pendulum in the first quarter as Australia and New Zealand took turns at scoring consecutively with both claiming a four-goal advantage during the opening stanza.
The Diamonds ified New Zealand’s one goal margin early in the second quarter but the Ferns went on a spree and headed into the half time break with a four goal lead.
As a result coach Norma Plummer rang the chances that turned the game the Diamonds’ way. Pitman, making her Test debut a day after her 23rd birthday, and Susan Fuhrmann, replacing Laura Geitz at goal keeper, breathed new life into the Diamonds after the break.
The Diamonds came out firing after half time with a strong third quarter performance, outscoring the Silver Ferns 14-9 to overcome a six-goal deficit and set up the narrowest of leads heading into the fourth quarter.
The Australians held their nerves in the last quarter, winning by five goals and sealing their 60thTest victory over New Zealand.
Julie Corletto was named Player of the Match and drew the praise from her coach for a stellar performance after a long road to recovery following a knee operation.
“She’s been a fantastic player for me and I think she needed the reward for her game tonight to know that she is not finished in netball,” Plummer said.
– Netball Australia