Final thoughts
Well that was a game and a half! Not literally of course, there is no extra time in round matches and even if there was, Folau didn’t let us have the opportunity to play it. Lots to think about for both teams - which of the myriad NZ combinations worked best for them? How do the Diamonds address their less than brilliant final quarters? Are the umpires able to keep pace with the speed of these games? Hope you’ve enjoyed watching along with me - we will have live blogs going for the semis on Saturday and the final on Sunday, so please join us again for those. In the meantime, rest up, get your massages and ice baths and get ready for a bruising weekend of netball finals!
Match Report
Geez, that Erin Delahunty is good. Even with keeping us updated with all the goss from the stadium she managed to get out this brilliant match report within minutes of the game ending. Relive the drama and enjoy!
Otaj Ihba asks via email “So, are the Diamonds the favourites to win this World Cup even after that nervy match? Or will the winner of the other semi-final be the more confident team when it comes to lifting the trophy?”
It’s hard to say! Certainly that wasn’t a complete performance from the Diamonds. It’s very disappointing to let a lead like that slip and those little errors that they were able to win back in earlier games proved much more costly against tougher opposition. England and South Africa have both looked in better form than NZ to my mind, so the Diamonds will need to lift to another level in order to win through to the final.
Liz Ellis doesn’t agree however, she thought Bruce faded at the end of the match and would have brought Sarah Klau on at the end for some extra spark.
Player of the match: Courtney Bruce
“I think I could have done a bit more to be honest!” says Bruce. Not sure she could have, she looks absolutely done! And with 7 gains, 3 intercepts, 5 deflections and 3 rebounds the stats agree that she had a good one.
OB Jato on email notes “New Zealand and thrillers at sports World Cups, eh?”
I’m not sure any Kiwis will have any fingernails left after the week they’ve had! Kiwis, you all have my permission to call in sick tomorrow. You deserve a long weekend.
Abhijato Sensarma asks via email “Has this been the most exciting high-quality match at this World Cup?”
It’s certainly been one of the most exciting! Not sure it will feel like a win for the Diamonds though after letting that lead fall away.
Full time Australia 50-49 NZ
This looked for all money like it was going to end in a draw but unbelievably Folau misses the final shot, just as she did for the Thunderbirds in the Super Netball just a few short weeks ago.
Q4 14 mins: Australia 50-49 NZ The Diamonds play it around to eat up time and finally get it to Bassett who scores.
Q4 14 mins: Australia 49-48 NZ Watson has an immediate impact with an intercept. The Ferns move it down court but miss an easy pass to Folau. They reset and finally she slots the goal.
Q4 13 mins: Australia 49-47 NZ The Diamonds aren’t going to make it easy to get a turnover. They are being very patient in attack, knowing they have the upper hand. Jane Watson comes back on for the Ferns, along with Folau to try to close this out.
Q4 12 mins: Australia 48-46 NZ There is no easy passage to goal for either team right now. The Ferns are being very conservative in attack, but need to add some desperation in defence, as they need turnovers.
Q4 10 mins: Australia 47-45 NZ English umpire Burgess is very strict on the obstruction, so the Diamonds will be pleased he is at their shooting end to finish the game. They are getting a lot of space for their shots.
Q4 8 mins: Australia 46-43 NZ Bruce gets very close to her own incredible intercept, but misses by millimetres. It has made the Ferns more hesitant on the feed though.
Q4 6 mins: Australia 44-42 NZ The crowd is very unhappy with some umpiring decisions! It’s getting firey in there. Kopua comes within centimetres of another incredible intercept but can’t quite get to this one.
Q4 5 mins: Australia 42-41 NZ Casey Kopua with a sensational intercept to send the ball back to her shooters who nail the goal.
Q4 4 mins: Australia 42-40 NZ Now it’s the Diamonds who look a little flustered. I suspect they relaxed a little too much when they pushed the lead out and weren’t expecting this fight back. They continue to get the ball into the circle, but not with the fluidity they had in the first three quarters.
Q4 1 min: Australia 40-37 NZ I was wrong, Price comes back on for the Diamonds in WD. One of those concerning Bassett turnovers gives the Ferns the chance to close the gap further early.
Three-quarter time: Australia 40-36 NZ
The Ferns win the quarter by two and despite looking very unsettled for most of that quarter, now finally look like a team that is able to compete with the Diamonds. The changes seem to be working for them. It will be interesting to see if Alexander makes any changes to the Diamonds line up, but I suspect she will stick with this line for now, with players ready on the bench if the lead shrinks any further in the first few minutes of the final quarter.
Q3 14 mins: Australia 40-35 NZ A few cautions being handed out as the intensity lifts - Rore is the latest one to be called.
Q3 13 mins: Australia 38-34 NZ The Ferns are fighting their way back into this despite - or maybe due to - the ‘bibs in the air’ approach to changes. Mes and Ekenasio are moving the ball better between them and Langman is the steadying influence through the middle.
Q3 12 mins: Australia 38-33 NZ More changes in defence - Rore comes back on at GD but Watson wasn’t able to get her bibs off in time so Kopua waits on the bench until the next goal is scored.
Q3 11 mins: Australia 38-31 NZ Here comes that WD change - Browne has just had too much space on Rore. Karin Burger joins the game and Ekenasio has also come back on at GA for Folau.
Q3 10 mins: Australia 36-30 NZ Bizarre moment with Bassett bending down to tie her shoelace while the ball was being thrown back on court. She stands up, finds it at her feet and shoots the goal.
Q3 8 mins: Australia 34-27 NZ It’s all looking too easy for the Diamonds at the moment. The Ferns don’t look like they have the answers. They are forcing a few turnovers, but their attacking play is so static, they are really troubled by the Diamonds’ defence.
Q3 6 mins: Australia 32-26 NZ The crowd might join Erin in buying the umpires that stop watch. A lot of yelling when Folau holds on to her shots for 4-5 seconds.
Q3 4 mins: Australia 32-24 NZ For some reason we have a commentary change for the second half? Did Sharni Layton pick up a voice injury during the break? We now get Dan Ryan in there – not sure how he’s fitting it in with coaching Northern Ireland as well! I wouldn’t have thought a head coach in a World Cup would have a second to think about anything else but coaching, but he’s squeezing it in.
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Q3 1 min: Australia 29-24 NZ Quick goal to Australia to start. NZ have brought Shannon Saunders on at WA - interesting change, I would have expected a new WD instead? But Taurua knows what she’s doing!
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Heading to some half-time analysis by three former Diamonds greats in Liz Ellis, Cath Cox and Kim Green.
Cox notes that the feeders found Bassett much more easily in the second quarter. Green isn’t too sure about the change from Price to Hadley in WD - she thought Price was generating some energy and isn’t sure about playing Hadley out of position.
Half time: Australia 28-22 NZ
Big quarter from the Diamonds who are edging out those individual battles all over the court. The new shooting combination of Mes and Folau has only had two minutes so far, so we’ll have to keep an eye on the impact that may have as we get into the second half. Six goals is not much at all in a game like this, so the game could still go either way.
Q2 14 mins: Australia 26-21 NZ Welcome to the game Bailey Mes! Here’s a Bruce tackle to get you acclimatised!
Q2 13 mins: Australia 25-20 NZ Bailey Mes is up off the bench with a GS bib on - looks like the Ferns are getting ready to make a change.
Q2 12 mins: Australia 25-18 NZ Australia really pushing it out now. The Ferns look to be struggling with the speed of the attack and the suffocating nature of the defence. Meanwhile Erin has very generously offered to purchase a stop watch for the umpires to help them out with their held ball calls. So kind of her!
Q2 10 mins: Australia 24-18 NZ Browne isn’t bothered by the reach of Rore, she is outrunning her and hitting the circle edge so the arms don’t get in her way. NZ may look to bring on a speedier WD option.
Q2 8 mins: Australia 21-17 NZ Erin was right about Bassett - she is looking much more switched on this match than she has so far. Not so many of those little fumbles that were creeping into her game.
Q2 7 mins: Australia 19-16 NZ Folau adjusts by holding space to run into, rather than space for the ball to be passed into which helps her get around Bruce at last. A footwork call on Price gives the Ferns the opportunity to get back into it.
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Q2 5 mins: Australia 19-14 NZ Another brilliant tip from Bruce - NZ will need to do something about their set up in the shooting circle.
Q2 4 mins: Australia 18-14 NZ A held ball call on Folau gives the Diamonds the chance to extend their lead back out.
Q2 3 mins: Australia 16-14 NZ The Ferns are showing hesitation in putting the ball into Folau with Bruce all over her. Bruce appears to have the upper hand in that battle so far. But at the other end of the court, Jane Watson is having some wins over Bassett as well.
Q2 1 min: Australia 15-11 NZ No changes for the second quarter for either team and the Diamonds continue on their merry way, scoring with ease.
Quarter time: Australia 13-10 NZ
What a first quarter! The lead and the ball swung wildly back and forth, but it was the Australians who settled when it mattered and finished with a few solid goals to take the vital first quarter lead.
Q1 14 mins: Australia 12-10 NZ Two attacking contacts at either end of the court send the ball back and forth and then both WAs make some crucial errors with offside and replay calls. It’s getting a bit scrappy out there.
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Q1 12 mins: Australia 11-9 NZ A huge tip by Bruce sends the ball into Weston’s hands and the attackers are able to capitalise. These little moments will be make or break in this match.
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Q1 11 mins: Australia 9-9 NZ Erin tells me that fans in the stadium are showing obvious frustration at the inability of the umpires to keep pace with the play. Will keep an eye on how that plays out.
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Q1 10 mins: Australia 8-8 NZ Huge long shot from Folau just rolls out and gives the Diamonds the chance to equalise.
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Q1 8 mins: Australia 6-7 NZ It’s a tough battle out there and neither team is giving an inch. The Ferns look frustrated with the tight one-on-one defence but are able to see through the mess at the moment.
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Q1 6 mins: Australia 4-2 NZ The first turnover of the game is forced by Courtney Bruce and is worked down court to Steph Wood to score with both defenders out. Australia leads 4-2.
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Q1 5 mins: Australia 3-2 NZ Australia definitely look the more settled at the start. The Ferns look rattled, passing backwards, quite hesitant on the feed. But none of that matters when Folau gets the ball in her hands and sinks the long bombs.
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Q1 3 mins: Australia 1-1 NZ Tougher passage to goal for New Zealand, but they patiently work it in to Folau.
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Q1 2 mins: Australia 0-1 NZ The first goal goes to Steph Wood and the Diamonds draw first blood on the night.
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Q1 1 min: Australia 0-0 NZ Here we go! Australia with the first centre pass.
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Erin has addressed my concerns on Caitlin Bassett, she tells me “I reckon CBass looks set; relaxed but focused.” Good news for Diamonds fans, hopefully she carries that into the game.
Something I’m looking forward to in this game is seeing how both teams respond to the pressure, having not felt it so far this world cup. It was interesting to talk to Diamonds’ performance analyst Dr Mitch Mooney before the tournament about how they assessed the silver medal in last year’s Commonwealth Games. The key for him was to figure out how they can learn from a big win the way they learn from a close win or a loss. It will be fascinating to watch if they have figured that out this time. More of Mitch’s thoughts in here:
Another update from Erin at the stadium. She just bumped into Collingwood Magpies coach Rob Wright and got his tip for the game. Rob is feeling pretty confident about the Diamonds’ chances and thinks they will get the win by eight.
Now Lisa Alexander says her part:
“This is our test - this is what we play for and do all that training for.”
She cites her attacking combination as an “experienced and winning combination.”
Noeline Taurua talking to the commentators over in Liverpool now.
“After this game we’ll definitely know where we are in the pecking order and what we need to improve on.”
Love seeing the love between the women’s sporting teams - there were a few nice Twitter moments between the Diamonds and the Australian women’s cricket team recently.
Wishing our friends at the @AussieDiamonds all the best for their Netball World Cup campaign which gets underway tonight! 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/pdXWL4I6ux
— Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@SouthernStars) July 12, 2019
🏏 Good luck @SouthernStars!!!
— Samsung Diamonds (@AussieDiamonds) July 18, 2019
The Diamonds are right behind you 🙌#Ashes#ShineBright pic.twitter.com/VkHJ0aSK4t
Thinking back on that Australian line up and there is plenty to unpack there. Caitlin Bassett, while she’s scored plenty of goals in the first five games, has not looked at her best. Plenty of fumbles, some easy missed shots and her timing has been a little off. The Diamonds will need her to be at her very best tonight.
In the mid-court, Liz Watson is widely considered the world’s best WA, yet she is playing in C. This seems to be to make space for Kelsey Browne to be paired up with her old Lightning teammates in Bassett and Steph Wood. This has been a solid combination so far and hopefully the gamble to move Watson out of position pays off.
Jamie-Lee Price is fairly untested at this level and has not played much WD this season in Super Netball. The umpiring will also be a factor as Price has a tendency to get physical and it remains to be seen how much physicality the umpires will permit. If she is out of play too often, it will make the Ferns’ passage to goal much easier.
Erin Delahunty is live at the stadium and she tells me that there was a much bigger cheer for Australia than New Zealand when they entered the court. Interesting considering the usual animosity between English and Australian sporting fans. I wonder if it could have something to do with the fact that so many English players are in the Super Netball so English fans have been following the Australian competition and have warmed to some of the players? Or possibly there are just a lot of noisy Australians in the arena!
Of course the other big game tonight will be at 5am AEST when England take on South Africa. The Norma Plummer coached South Africans are in sparkling form and without Layla Guscoth in defence, the Roses may be vulnerable.
While both teams are still guaranteed to make the semi finals, it will be a fascinating test of where both teams are at before those important finals games.
Earlier tonight, Northern Ireland just squeaked home over Barbados with a 46-43 victory. That sends Northern Ireland into the 9-10 play off and Barbados into the 11-12 play off.
What a performance from @netballni!
— Netball World Cup (@NetballWorldCup) July 18, 2019
Their first-ever World Cup victory over Barbados 👊
Who was your Player of the Match? #ThisIsNetball pic.twitter.com/IcM9EqVIrf
You can also refresh your memory with my team-by-team guide and laugh at how wrong some of my predictions were. They were simpler times - a week ago...
Before we get into the match, let’s catch up on what’s happened most recently. Before their rest day yesterday, the Diamonds easily accounted for Malawi - beautifully analysed here by the always wonderful Erin Delahunty who is on the ground in Liverpool.
Starting line up - New Zealand
Interesting to see who Taurua is running as her top line as well. They’re going for height in WD, which may cause problems for the Diamonds’ shortest player in Kelsey Browne at WA
GS Maria Folau
GA Ameliaranne Ekenasio
WA Gina Crampton
C Laura Langman
WD Katrina Rore
GD Casey Kopua
GK Jane Watsom
Starting line up - Australia
And the team list is in for Australia. Lisa Alexander has been pretty coy with her selections so far, so now we know what she considers her top 7.
GS Caitlin Bassett
GA Steph Wood
WA Kelsey Brown
C Liz Watson
WD Jamie-Lee Price
GD Jo Weston
GK Courtney Bruce
Preamble
Well here we are, ready for the biggest game for the Diamonds so far. Neither team has really been tested yet – the Diamonds have an average winning margin of over 58 goals and while the Silver Ferns’ is considerably less, none of that tends to matter once these two teams get on the court. While the Ferns were disappointing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, causing barely a blip for the Diamonds, they look refreshed under new coach Noeline Taurua and certainly beat the Australians for experience. The question is whether they have the fitness to run out a game at this intensity for 60 minutes. With only Laura Langman and Maria Folau playing in the Super Netball, the majority of the Ferns play in the ANZ Premiership, which doesn’t provide the same level of intensity. So many questions, soon time for some answers!
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