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Australia’s netballers completed their first audition for a Commonwealth Games berth with a convincing 59-38 win over Jamaica in their opening Test match in Melbourne.
The Australians are using the three-Test series, plus one at the end of the month against arch-rivals New Zealand, as trials for October’s Commonwealth Games in India.
Coach Norma Plummer intends to cut her 15-player squad to 12, and was impressed by her line-up’s first international outing, with the big scoreline allowing her to give her bench a run.
“I think we got out of it what we wanted today and was pleased with the result,” she said.
“If you said we should have been 15 goals further up we probably should have … but this is about opportunities and I’ve got to be giving these players every chance.”
The Australians were rocked by the loss of their skipper Sharelle McMahon, who was forced to watch from the stands at the State Netball Hockey Centre after suffering a corked thigh during a training mishap during practice on Friday.
McMahon is hopeful of playing in their second Test in Sydney on Wednesday night.
“I’m doing everything I can with the recovery but we just have to wait and see,” McMahon said.
“I thought the girls were great … we were certainly scratchy in parts and there’s things we can improve on but I was really proud of the girls.”
Her place as starting goal attack was ably filled by Queensland’s Natalie Medhurst, while dynamic centre Natalie von Bertouch stepped into the captaincy role.
The Diamonds raced to a three-point lead by the first break and were then never headed by the under-strength tourists, who among other players were missing captain and goal attack Simone Forbes, who has represented her country in five different sports.
Forbes is back in training but didn’t make the tour after taking time off netball to complete her masters degree.
The Jamaicans, who beat Australia in their last meeting in October, stayed in the battle early in the match until the Diamonds went on a five-goal scoring spree which allowed them to take a 12-9 lead at quarter time.
The visitors were restricted by their reliance on towering goal shooter Romelda Aiken, who put up all but two of their shooting attempts in the opening quarter.
Jamaican goal attack Vanessa Walker lifted her input to contribute four goals from four attempts in the second quarter but they were unable to match the might of Australian duo Medhurst and veteran goal shooter Cath Cox, who combined to give their side a 29-19 halftime lead.
Unfortunately for the Sunshine Girls, Australia got better as the match wore on as their new combinations found their rhythm and the world No.1-ranked side hammered home their superiority with 11 successive goals early in the third quarter which effectively sealed the win.
Plummer was particularly pleased with the defensive efforts of goal keeper Lauren Geitz, who helped keep Aiken to 27 goals from 36 attempts.
For Australia Cox finished with 22 from 29 while Medhurst tallied 30 from 33 and replacement Kate Beveridge seven from 10.
Jamaican coach Connie Francis said her team fell down in attack and that Aiken, who plays with the Queensland Firebirds in the trans-Tasman competition, failed to adjust to the Jamaican style of play.
“Our attacking team just did not show up today, especially our veteran players,” she said.
“Romelda is a different Romelda than what we’re accustomed with in Jamaica.”