England has touched down in Australia ready to extract revenge on the Diamonds, after they knocked them out of the gold medal running in their home Commonwealth Games.
Both teams head into tonight’s game one of the England Series on the back of contrasting Test matches, while the Diamonds are still dealing with the fall out of their sponsorship debacle.
STARTING LINE UPS
Australia – GK Klau, GD Bruce, WD Price, C Proud, WA Hadley, GA Austin, GS Garbin
England – GK Mentor, GD Williams, WD Malcolm, C Clarke, WA Metcalf, GA Housby, GS Cardwell
The Diamonds recorded a 2-2 Constellation Cup victory over rivals New Zealand, on goal countback, while the Roses stormed to a 3-0 series win against the Uganda She Cranes.
It’ll be a new-look Diamonds line-up, with both captain and vice-captain Liz Watson and Steph Wood missing this series.
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Instead, Paige Hadley has been declared captain, after missing out on the Constellation Cup, while West Coast Fever skipper Courtney Bruce will act as vice-captain.
The biggest shake up of the squad will come in Australia’s attack end with rookie Donnell Wallam set to make her international debut – in the face of the $15 million Hancock Prospecting controversy.
Fever dragged into sponsorship saga | 02:14
Wallam had applied for an exemption to not wear the Hancock logo on her dress, given the comments made by late founder Lang Hancock back in the 1980s.
After that application was denied by Netball Australia, the players rallied around Wallam and the Hancock Prospecting sponsorship was subsequently pulled.
It’s been a tough lead up to a series for Wallam, with the ongoing commentary and drama surrounding the lost deal.
The Roses, meantime, have arrived in Australia drama free after their series win over Uganda.
They are bringing an experienced squad including the likes of Super Netball stars Jo Harten, Geva Mentor and Helen Housby.
The Roses will have three games to try and match it with the game’s best, after a disappointing Commonwealth Games fade out.
Roses star defender Mentor said the squad was prepared for a tough battle in Australia.
“I think the Australian Diamonds and Vitality Roses battles that we’ve had over the years have certainly intensified, particularly over the last four or five years when England has been a lot more competitive,” she told England Roses media.
“I think before you’d probably have written us off and it was just about building, whereas now we’re in there and we’re in it to try and win it.
Diamonds claim Constellation Cup! | 01:40
“I think the beauty of having so many players being able to play Down Under and get to know the Australian style, what it takes to be able to train week in week out at that intensity and then bring that onto the international stage has really put us in good stead.
“I guess that just makes international netball and world netball more exciting as it‘s not just New Zealand and Australia battling at the top but England and now Jamaica are obviously nipping at the heels of these countries that are one and two in the world.”
HOW TO WATCH
Watch game one from Newcastle live on Fox Sports channel 505 from 7pm AEDT.
SQUADS
Australia – Kiera Austin, Courtney Bruce, Sophie Dwyer, Sophie Garbin, Paige Hadley, Sarah Klau, Cara Koenen, Kale Moloney, Amy Parmenter, Jamie-Lee Price, Maddy Proud, Maddy Turner, Donnell Wallam, Jo Weston
England – Imogen Allison, Eleanor Cardwell, Jade Clarke, Beth Cobden, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, Funmi Fadoju, Layla Guscoth, Jo Harten, Alice Harvey, Helen Housby, Hannah Joseph, Laura Malcolm, Geva Mentor, Nat Metcalf, Liv Tchine, Fran Williams
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