Australia are taking a gamble in the Quad Series final against New Zealand by selecting five midcourters for the clash.
After making her Diamonds debut against South Africa last night, Tara Hinchliffe has been dropped from the 12-player squad for the must-win clash against the Silver Ferns.
Instead of taking the typical four-four-four split, like coach Stacey Marinkovich has typically opted for, the unbeaten Australia will go in with just three defenders in Courtney Bruce, Sarah Klau and Sunday Aryang.
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Aussies down South Africa to reach final | 00:34
Hinchliffe had been the shock replacement for injured defender Jo Weston, who didn’t make the trip to Cape Town due to a calf complaint.
It’s a big move by Marinkovich given Fern’s goal shooter Grace Nweke’s Quad Series dominance.
“Without Jo Weston the Aussies are definitely not as strong,” Northern Stars coach Kiri Wills said on the Kiwi Netball Show podcast.
“And we saw that in the those Constellation Cup games when she was not available, (NZ) were a lot more competitive.
“When she came back on in Australia, she shut down Ameliaranne and that therefore put a lot more pressure on that WA/C combo.”
Silver Ferns defender Sulu Fitzpatrick said she was looking forward to a tough battle against the Diamonds, after their narrow two-goal loss earlier in the series.
“They are the benchmark at the moment,” she said.
“They are grinders – they’ll keep pushing right to the end.”
Nweke lamented the last loss to Australia and conceded her side “let them catch up to us” after holding a seven-goal lead.
Diamonds edge past Kiwis to secure final | 01:27
“In a way, it was ours to lose.”
Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua described the final as a “big test” for her side to see where they are at in their development.
“I feel everyone’s had a chance now or an opportunity – they’ve all been given court time,” she said.
“There’s always a headache as to who we can’t take, but we’re on the up and really pleased by what we’ve been able to do so far.”
The Quad Series final between Australia and New Zealand begins at 3am AEDT on Thursday.
England and South Africa will play off in the 3rd v 4th clash – with both sides still winless after the round games.
