Australia’s Diamonds will have to be on their game if they are to take away the silverware in the final of Netball’s Quad Series.
Australia’s Diamonds will have redemption on their minds when they take on England in the final of Netball’s Quad Series in the UK on Thursday morning (AEDT).
The Diamonds were on track for victory against the Roses in their clash on Wednesday before they let slip a six-goal lead in the last quarter as the match finished in a thrilling 48-48 draw.
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Australia led 12-9 at the end of first quarter and gradually extended its lead to have a six-goal buffer after three quarters on the back of an excellent shooting display from Sophie Garbin.
But England mounted a strong comeback, with Helen Housby — who plays for NSW Swifts in the Super Netball — scoring the final goal right on the buzzer to level the scores at 48-all.
It was a disappointing result for Australia after recording convincing wins over New Zealand and South Africa earlier in the Quad Series.
Captain Liz Watson, playing her 50th match for the Diamonds, said there were plenty of positives to take out of the match and her side will be raring to go against England in the final.
“(There were) lots of learnings I think from that game, but the beauty is we’re back here tomorrow, it’s a really quick turnaround,” she said.
“We’ve got to really simplify it as players, pick out the three or four things that we need to focus on and then bring it together as a team.
“But you just want to get back out there right now as an athlete and play again.
“We’re in a great position to come back tomorrow and hopefully have a win.”
Coach Stacey Marinkovich said the Diamonds can only benefit from having a tough match against quality opposition in England.
“This is what we’re over here to do is to be playing games with that sort of intensity, that sort of pressure and there’s some vital lessons to be learned from it,” Marinkovich said.
“Going into tomorrow’s game with the girls we’ll reflect on it, we’ll see what we can do a bit better and then we’ll re-test what we’re trying to put out on the court.”
The Diamonds face the Roses in the Quad Series final at 6:30am (AEDT) on Thursday morning (AEDT). You can watch it live and free via Kayo Freebies.
The series is a crucial stepping stone for the Diamonds team as it is the only international matches they will have before July’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Originally published as Australian Diamonds raring to go against England in Quad Series final