The Australian Diamonds’ second-string side – sent out by coach Lisa Alexander in the Netball World Cup semi-final in Liverpool – started the match like a back-up line, but after settling, secured a place in Sunday’s final, winning 55-53 in another heart-stopper.
In the process, the Aussies let the netball world know they have the deepest squad – and the best of them will be fresh as daisies for the final. Oh, and they know how to win, even with out their skipper.
With Caitlin Bassett, Steph Wood and Kelsey Browne, who made up the attacking line from the Diamonds’ fingernail-shredding win over New Zealand late in the week, on the bench, the reigning champions looked lacklustre for most of the first quarter. But with the Proteas failing to capitalise on turnovers, the Diamonds managed to go into the break 14-10.
After fumbling the first ball that came her way, Bassett’s perennial understudy, Caitlin Thwaites, who came into the match as one of the most accurate shooters at the tournament, with 134 goals from 136 attempts, returned a perfect eight from eight in the first. Gretel Tippett, who has only played in four of the six matches so far this Cup, only managed 6/6, having minimal impact.
With Paige Hadley at centre and Liz Watson at wing attack, the Diamonds’ midcourt struggled in the second quarter, having to work overtime to get the ball to the circle’s edge.
Tippett, netball’s most polarising figure thanks to her unorthodox style, physicality and basketball-esque lay-up, injected herself into the match in the second, getting the best of Karla Pretorius. She knocked down 11-straight and looked like she might take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Down the other end, Jo Weston, who showed her aggressive side in Australia’s last-gasp win over the Ferns, hassled and harangued Protea goal attack Maryka Holtzhausen from the get-go, keeping her to just five goals for the half.
It left Lenize Potgieter to do most of the scoring, and she did it with relative ease on Cup debutant Sarah Klau. The half ended 31-23 in Australia’s favour, with Thwaites and Tippett still without a miss.
The fightback was on in the third as the Proteas came at Australia, led by Pretorius. With Potgieter shooting 11/12 and Holtzhausen 5/6 for the quarter, the South Africans outscored the Diamonds 16-12 for the quarter. The Aussies had a four-goal lead at the last break, with the Proteas coming home hard.
The last started with Wood at goal attack, Hadley at wing attack, Watson at centre and Courtney Bruce – who has arguably been the defender of the tournament, with 17 intercepts, 38 deflections and 15 rebounds prior to the semi – at keeper.
Wood missed her first attempt, but in what was the story of the game, the Proteas couldn’t capitalise, throwing the ball wide and handing it back to the Aussies. A Watson intercept in South Africa’s goal-third was a pivotal moment, allowing the Diamonds to pull away to a three-goal lead.
Despite an English crowd keen to see the Australians lose, the reigning champions again clung on, thanks mainly to some defensive brilliance from Weston and Bruce, and Thwaites’ 30/30.
The two-goal win books Australia’s place in Sunday’s final, where the Diamonds will face either England or New Zealand.
