Australian midcourter Maddy Proud will miss the final Test of the England Series after suffering concussion in Sunday night’s eight-goal victory.
Proud was floored by a stray elbow to the head from teammate Kiera Austin at the edge of the goal circle in the third quarter of the match at Qudos Bank Arena.
Australian medical staff on the bench quickly notified the umpire to stop the game as they made their way to the stricken midcourter.
Watch the best in world netball as Origin Australian Diamonds face England Roses in the England Series Thursday 6:30 PM AEST Live & Free on Kayo Freebies.Join now and start streaming instantly >
Proud, who has a history of concussion and head knocks dating back to her early career with the Adelaide Thunderbirds, was too ill to call for time herself.
Proud was able to walk from the court assisted and later returned to the bench to massive cheers for the final term. Austin was also brought from the court at the same time under the blood rule.
It is well-known how courageous Proud is as a player, famously winning the Super Netball title in 2021 after playing with a broken rib suffered in the semi final.
But coach Stacey Marinkovich confirmed the “groggy” 28-year-old will not be making the trip north for the final match in Brisbane.
“She has got concussion,” she said.
“We’ll monitor her and she’ll be under our concussion protocols.
“We’ll work with our medical staff. It’s unfortunate and we will just make sure she’s in good care.”
The concussion means Proud will be sidelined for at least 12 days under Netball Australia’s protocols.
Proud was taken to hospital in 2020 after an innocuous looking collision with then-teammate now England captain Natalie Metcalf at training.
The 28-year-old revealed she was treated for whiplash after suffering dizziness on the sidelines.
There’s better news for rookie shooter Donnell Wallam after she missed the second Test in Sydney with illness.
Wallam was the game one hero, despite the sponsorship drama surrounding her debut in the weeks leading up to the Newcastle clash.
But she was a late withdrawal on Sunday due to a stomach bug.
“She certainly wasn’t 100 per cent to come out on the court,” Marinkovich said.
“She’ll go with us to Brisbane and I think it’ll be a really short turnaround with this one so she’ll be right to go.”
Luckily for Marinkovich, the Australian squad has shown there’s plenty of depth.
“It’s awesome, this is what we wanted to do and gather as much information as we can on our players and our opposition,” she said.
“Players taking the court and grabbing their opportunity. Players able to impact from the bench and be able to start. That’s what you need for a World Cup (next July) – you can’t rely on one thing.
“It’s very exciting what the girls are doing.”
