Australia are preparing to face an England netball team still smarting from their Commonwealth Games defeat when the countries open their Test series in Bendigo on Sunday.
The Diamonds are coming off a four-Test whitewash of traditional foes New Zealand but know they can’t ease off against an England outfit hungry for revenge.
England had Australia’s measure in their pool game at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, leading at every stoppage, only to see the Diamonds steal a 49-48 win with a Caitlin Bassett goal with 10 seconds remaining.
They are bringing a full-strength squad featuring ANZ Championship players such as Geva Mentor, Eboni Beckford-Chambers and captain Jade Clarke.
The locals will be without skipper Laura Geitz, who was ruled out of the two-game series with a knee injury, with veteran Kim Green taking over the captaincy.
Shooter Caitlin Thwaites is one player certain to be in contention in her return to her home town.
The 27-year-old has had limited opportunities but impressed in the starting line-up in the last Test against the Silver Ferns, nailing 15 goals from 16 attempts in the first half.
Thwaites said the Diamonds were motivated to stretch their winning streak against all comers to 18 wins but knew England would make it difficult.
“England will definitely be out to prove a point,” Thwaites said. “They had a one-point loss against us and the same against the Kiwis so it was a bit of a devastating campaign for them.”
Thwaites said England were continuing to close the gap on the two front-runners and Australia needed to stay a step ahead with the World Cup looming next year in Sydney where they will defend their crown.
“What we’re trying to achieve as a group is to step up every single time and assert ourselves on whichever opposition we’re up against.
“We’re expecting the English to be really physical but we’ve got to play smart and wear a bit of that body that we’re going to cop.”
Players have rejected Netball Australia's latest pay offer with former great Liz Ellis fearing the relationship between the warring parties may not be salvageable.…
More than 20 of Australia's biggest sporting bodies have joined together to support the Voice to Parliament. After weeks of announcements from the various…
Collingwood will withdraw from the Super Netball competition at the end of the season. The struggling Magpies conducted a review of their future viability…
As a member of both Collingwood and the Melbourne Storm, I have been to numerous AFL / NRL ANZAC Day double headers. This year…
Australia's Diamonds have underlined their global netball supremacy
Both sides won their last round-robin matches in South Africa.
