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Diamonds to revel in home Netball World Cup pressure

Roar Guru
24th June, 2015
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When the Netball World Cup comes to Sydney in two months, Australia will face enormous expectation to maintain their global dominance.

Coach Lisa Alexander is confident the Diamonds will embrace that challenge, labelling her 12-player squad named on Wednesday the “most versatile, strong, mentally-tough group I think that I’ve ever coached”.

Given Australia have won 10 of the 13 world titles since 1963, including the last two, and also beat their major rivals to claim the Commonwealth Games title last year, anything less than another triumph would be difficult for fans to contemplate.

“We’ll feel the weight of expectations on ourselves, because we’ve got such high standards,” Alexander said.

“So this group – and I know the group very well – will be expecting to improve, to get better, and we’ll be our own hardest task masters I can assure you.

“The support from our home crowd is going to lift us to higher levels.

“So make no mistake, we will feel the expectations, but we will feel them in a positive way.”

The Diamonds will be without star Glasgow Games pair Madi Robinson (injury) and Bianca Chatfield (retired), but will benefit from up-and-coming talent Paige Hadley in the midcourt and Rebecca Bulley on the defensive line.

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Adelaide Thunderbirds goal attack Erin Bell has also been called up at the expense of Commonwealth Games incumbent Tegan Phillips in the only outright replacement of the group led by captain and goalkeeper Laura Geitz.

Bell and Natalie Medhurst will compete for the GA bib to combine with one of feisty goal shooting pair Caitlin Bassett and Caitlin Thwaites.

Alexander expected tough competition for the seven starting spots in a squad possessing great versatility and depth.

They are characteristics they may need, given Australia have been drawn in a tough Pool A with New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

Alexander said they’d thrive on playing in Sydney.

“All Phones Arena just has a great feeling for us with this group,” Alexander said.

“We’ve won many Test matches there, and the Sydney crowd are just unbelievable … we feel that energy.”

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