For four long years the Australian Diamonds have been haunted by an absence. After securing the Netball World Cup trophy consecutively in 2007, 2011 and 2015, a one-goal loss to the old enemy New Zealand at the 2019 World Cup was painful. That it happened just one year after a devastatingly similar one-goal loss to England at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, and swept their trophy cabinet bare, made it all the worse.
A four-goal win over Jamaica in the gold medal match at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games last year appeared to steady the ship and put the team back on course. But after a gruelling Super Netball season filled with off-court distractions, a grand final won by a team with no Diamonds in it, and facing the prospect of playing on the biggest stage without star shooter Gretel Bueta, there were times when this World Cup looked out of reach.
When netball pundits rained criticism upon the national team after the major tournament losses in 2018 and 2019, many casual fans were bemused. One goal could come down to luck, to who won the coin toss, or a sly contact missed by an umpire. Surely it was not the death knell being tolled?
But those inside the sport understood that in big moments, knowing how to win is vital. A team can be full of skilled players and have trained for every eventuality, but when the pressure is applied, the players who stand up are often those most comfortable with victory. They are the ones who believe they will win because they always have before and who have a connection to their uniform that feels almost supernatural – as if it is interwoven with the spirit of all the players who wore it before. This kind of belief can overcome luck, because the players who possess it never count themselves out or see a game as lost. They simply keep believing that they can create the circumstances of victory and they persist.
It is this belief that those critical pundits could see missing from the eyes of the Diamonds in 2018 and 2019. Though they came close, they did not seem to have the will to spur themselves over the line. Early signs at this year’s tournament seemed to suggest this would be the case again.
A loss to England in the final game of the preliminary stages was a huge blow, setting up a semi-final against a Jamaican team who looked the best they ever have. But the smart use of a moving circle – denying the world’s best defender in Shamera Sterling the chance to play her aerial game – as well as patience and proficiency not shown in their earlier matches, got the Diamonds over the line and avoided their nightmare scenario of missing the gold medal match for the first time in history.
Once they stepped out on court in the final, the Australians exuded dominance in every move they made. England – as good as they had been in the previous game – did not stand a chance against this beast of a team. They were ruthless, contesting every ball in defence and moving with the utmost efficiency in attack. They did not panic, and were confident in their ability to wear down their opponents and build a lead.
They had answers to every question asked of them. When England’s defenders looked more confident against the moving circle, on came Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin, who soaked up the pressure and looked as comfortable as if they had been asked to fill in for a friend’s social netball team after work. The entire performance was a return to the Diamonds of years gone by and a showcase of the importance of having a winning culture.
With Monday’s victory and the trophy cabinet full again, the Diamonds have found that winning culture once more. What makes it extra special this time around is that individually, the rest of the world has caught up and even surpassed the Diamonds. Jamaica contains the world’s best defensive unit in Sterling, Latanya Wilson and Jodi-Ann Ward and goal shooter in Jhaniele Fowler. The world’s best goal attack is England’s Helen Housby. New Zealand’s Kate Heffernan was awarded midcourter of the tournament.
Statistically, the individual Diamonds players barely make a ripple in the world order. But this is a team that is greater than the sum of its parts and has made winning its trademark. And if future generations of Diamonds ever lose their shimmer, they will have this tournament to look back on to show them the power of belief.
