Just a fortnight out from naming her World Cup squad, Australian Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander has metaphorical puzzle pieces strewn across her desk; this weekend’s Super Netball matches would not have helped sort the jumble.
Her starting goal keeper, West Coast Fever captain Courtney Bruce, missed her side’s 14-goal loss to the NSW Swifts with what looks increasingly like a serious elbow injury, and the player most likely to replace her, Emily Mannix, got dragged and didn’t return after a poor start for the Vixens against the Thunderbirds.
Her star goal shooter, Caitlin Bassett, also coming back from an arm injury, was better – but not her best – in the Giants’ surprise eight-goal win over Collingwood. She shot 40/42, but gave away two contacts, committed two “bad hands” and turned the ball over four times.
Australian goal attack, Sunshine Coast Lightning’s Steph Wood had a broken radar, sinking just 18 from 30 in the Queensland derby her side won 71-56 for an uncharacteristically low 60% accuracy.
Firebirds captain Gabi Simpson, who most consider a lock for the Diamonds’ wing defence bib in Liverpool, sat on the sidelines for that 15-goal defeat at the hands of Lightning after picking up a hip strain in training.
And then … there was what the Vixens did in Adelaide on Saturday afternoon.
In dismantling the Thunderbirds on their home court 58-42, the Vixens – in particular the shooting combination of Tegan Philip and Caitlin Thwaites, who split the goaling load 50-50 – really gave Alexander something to think when it comes to how she fills the shooting circle in Liverpool.
In the Vixens’ third straight win of the season, Philip and Thwaites were again the antithesis of the modern goaling circle – which in recent years has morphed into a tall holding shooter, virtually tethered to the post, finger-rolling just the closest shots in, partnered with a “feeding” goal attack. It usually translates to the GS scoring more than 70% of the side’s total goal.
Philip and Thwaites shot 29 goals each and showed a smart, well-fed “moving circle” can get the job done against world-class defence like Jamaican Shamera Sterling and Englishwoman Layla Guscoth.
Sharing the load is not unusual for Philip and Thwaites; they shot 31 and 30 respectively against the Giants last round, but a precise 50-50 split is. So far this season, the Thunderbirds and Firebirds have gone close, but one shooter normally dominates.
In stark contrast, sides with a tall timber have continued to rely on them. This round, Swifts import Sam Wallace shot 77% of her side’s total, Peace Proscovia 74% for the Lightning and Fever shooter Jhaniele Fowler 72%.
Relying on a sole shooter obviously exposes a side when that player picks up an injury or is beaten on the day. It also means opposition teams generally double-team the shooter, safe in the knowledge that they are the main avenue to goal.
Alexander won’t need reminding it was a moving circle featuring Helen Housby and Jo Harten which led England to Commonwealth Games glory last year.
Harten, who is partnering with Bassett at the Giants this season, and Housby, who plays with Wallace at the Swifts, split the goaling 65% to 35% in that unforgettable finale on the Gold Coast.
Since claiming the Diamonds’ GS position soon after making her international debut in 2008, Bassett, who is a classic tall, holding shooter, has been the first picked for the Diamonds – and she’ll be in Liverpool barring injury or calamity. So too Thwaites, who has long been Bassett’s understudy, usually just making early-round cameos at big tournaments.
But which other shooters Alexander selects and how she chooses to play them during the July tournament will be fascinating.
Gretel Tippett – who usually plays goal attack – has been a mainstay since joining the Diamonds in 2015 and while she is 192cm, she is much more mobile and athletic than other shooters her size. Might Alexander try her back at goal shooter, paired with Wood or another goal attack?
Or could Philip –who won gold with the Diamonds at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, then suffered an ACL injury but got back to the top level – get the call-up? Will her burgeoning partnership with Thwaites tempt Alexander to pick them – and play them – as a pair?
But that would leave Wood out, who has shown she can stand up under pressure, as evidenced in last year’s Super Netball grand final, when she paired beautifully with Bassett. Wood, crucially, can also play goal shooter.
Or could 21-year-old Kiera Austin – who was invited to a recent Diamonds camp as a training partner after debuting for the Giants in round two last year – be in the mix? The youngster can play wing attack and both shooting positions and brings a youthful confidence and flair. She’s also training with Bassett week-in, week-out at the Giants.
Alexander isn’t short of options, but picking the right combination in the circle – and across the rest of the court – to ensure the Diamonds avenge that heart-breaking Commonwealth Games loss will be a defining decision.
