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Australia national netball team

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Australia
File:Australia Diamonds Logo.jpg
Nickname(s)Diamonds
AssociationNetball Australia
Head coachLisa Alexander
CaptainCaitlin Bassett
Most capsLiz Ellis (122)
World ranking1
Team colours
Team colours
Alternate
Alternate
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
Netball World Cup
2015 placing1st
Titles won11
Commonwealth Games
2018 placing2nd
Best resultFirst (1998, 2002, 2014)

The Australia national netball team, commonly known as the Australian Netball Diamonds and Samsung 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.

The Diamonds are administered by Netball Australia, the national governing body for netball in Australia. Players are usually selected from the Australian Suncorp Super Netball franchises. The team is presently captained by Sunshine Coast Lightning shooter Caitlin Bassett.

History

Australia and England during a test match in 2008.

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 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 are the reigning world champions, having defended their title in Sydney in 2015.[2]

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.[3] 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."[3] 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.[4] The Diamonds have won seven of eight Constellation Cups between the nations.

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.[5]

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.[6] Lisa Alexander has been the head coach since August 2011; she took over from national team player Norma Plummer.[7]

When competing at the Fast5 Netball World Series, the usually younger team is referred to as the Fast5 Flyers.[8]

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
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 6th
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
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

2018/19 Samsung Diamonds roster
Players Coaches
Name Pos DOB Height Club Nat Caps
Jessica Anstiss WD, C, WA 1997 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) West Coast Fever Australia 0
Caitlin Bassett (c) GS 23/05/1988 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Giants Netball Australia 88
April Brandley GD, GK 19/04/1990 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Collingwood Magpies Australia 31
Kelsey Browne WA, C 17/01/1992 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) Collingwood Magpies Australia 5
Courtney Bruce GK, GD 08/12/1993 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) West Coast Fever Australia 22
Sarah Klau GK, GD 30/09/1994 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) New South Wales Swifts Australia 0
Tegan Philip GA, GS 03/09/1988 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Melbourne Vixens Australia 12
Jamie-Lee Price WD, C 10/01/1996 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) Giants Netball Australia 0
Kate Moloney WD, C 08/01/1993 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) Melbourne Vixens Australia 4
Emily Mannix GK, GD 16/06/1994 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Melbourne Vixens Australia 4
Kim Ravaillion WD, C 26/07/1993 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Collingwood Magpies Australia 60
Gabrielle Simpson (vc) C, WD, WA 17/10/1992 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) Queensland Firebirds Australia 37
Caitlin Thwaites GS 29/12/1986 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Melbourne Vixens Australia 43
Gretel Tippett GA, GS, WA 03/07/1993 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) Queensland Firebirds Australia 21
Liz Watson WA, C 30/03/1994 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Melbourne Vixens Australia 27
Joanna Weston GD, GK 14/02/1994 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Melbourne Vixens Australia 22
Stephanie Wood GA, WA 28/11/1991 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Sunshine Coast Lightning Australia 19
Head coach
Assistant coach


Notes
  • (c) – Captain
  • (cc) – Co-captain
  • (vc) – Vice-captain
  • Injured or on maternity leave – Injury / maternity leave
  • (TRP) – Temporary Replacement Player
Player profiles: Team website Last updated: 13/10/2018

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. Liz is currently a 9Gem 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 current 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. Current 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 1988–95. Den Dekker was also the coach of the Thunderbirds[9] 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 2010-2013.
  • 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
Kathryn Harby-Williams 94 SA 1990, 1992–2003
Carissa Tombs 91 NSW 1989–1999
Caitlin Bassett 88 WA 2008–Present
Natalie Medhurst 86 SA 2007–Present
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.[10]

Home Courts

The Australian diamonds use many different home courts around Australia. The courts they currently use are:

Venue Capacity City
Qudos Bank Arena 18,200 Sydney
Perth Arena 14,846 Perth
Brisbane Entertainment Centre 11,000 Brisbane
Adelaide Entertainment Centre 10,500 Adelaide
Hisense Arena 10,500 Melbourne
AIS Arena 5,200 Canberra

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Australian Diamonds History". Netball Australia. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Rookie steals netball glory for Australia". Sydney Morning Herald. 10 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b "Diamonds vs Silver Ferns: Old foes' biggest rivalry". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 October 2013.
  4. ^ "Nothing bigger than Diamonds against the Silver Ferns". The Australian. 14 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Commonwealth Games 2018: Netball final ends in misery for devastated Diamonds". The Australian. 15 April 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Lulham, Amanda (9 September 2008). "Our girl's dazzling new look". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 September 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ "Alexander is new Australia netball coach". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  8. ^ http://netball.com.au/team/australian-fast5-flyers/
  9. ^ http://netball.com.au/thunderbirds-appoint-den-dekker-new-coach/
  10. ^ Samsung Diamonds
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