Five Scholarship Holders Named in Diamonds Squad

Published On: 28 July 2009

Madison Browne will represent Australia and Captain the U21's

Five WAIS scholarship holders have today been named in Netball Australia’s squad of 22 for the 2009 international program.

West Coast Fever members Caitlin Bassett, Susan Fuhrmann, Shae Bolton and Madison Browne along with Adelaide Thunderbird representative Kate Beveridge will all be looking to impress in national colours.

National coach Norma Plummer was pleased with level of talent across the league, believing it had made for some hard decisions when selecting the squad.

“I am really pleased with the squad and it is vital for us to have such depth,” Plummer explained.

“There have been some disappointments, but with the strength of the competition the selection panel had to select on current form and who we believed really deserved to make the squad.”

Six new faces were included in the 2009 squad, leaving no doubt that positions are not guaranteed with the lure of the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

“Once again it is about making everyone very aware that times are changing and there are new faces coming in. If players want to make the Commonwealth Games or World Championships they have to take on board the competition within the group to make selection,” Plummer explained.

“It is healthy from a coach’s point of view and I think some of the senior players would be more aware of that than the younger players who are coming in and have nothing to lose.”

With nine Test matches and the World Netball Series to be played in 2009, Plummer and her selectors looked particularly closely at the centre court positions.

“We have seven players in this squad across the mid court and have stacked this area more than before. We really believe there are a few players on a par there and that wing attack position in particular is up for grabs.”

The shooting positions will also be hotly contested with seven talented shooters selected, all except McMahon who was injured, made an Australian team in 2008.

In addition, Madison Browne has been selected to captain the national U21 side in the upcoming World Youth Netball Cup in the Cook Islands from August 11-20, 2009.

Browne will be joined in the squad by fellow WAIS scholarships holders Caitlin Bassett, Shae Bolton and Andrea Gilmore.