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What we learned from the Diamonds' latest international series

After a huge year in the green and gold dress, Australia's best netballers can finally put their feet up; having won it all.

They've dropped just three games in 18 outings in 2022 and drawn once, giving them a 78 per cent success rate on the international stage.

Way back in January, the England Roses were their biggest challenge at the Quad Series, when they drew 48-all in the round-robin stages, but couldn't sustain the pressure in the final to stop the Diamonds from retaining the trophy.

Then in August, Australia won back its Commonwealth Games gold-medal status and got the last say over a dangerous Jamaican outfit that had beaten them in the pool stages.

In October, the Diamonds played their first match on home soil in more than 1,000 days, when they reclaimed the Constellation Cup from the New Zealand Silver Ferns based on goal difference.

And now, the team has finished the year the way it started, outclassing the Roses, this time with a more defiant 3-0 clean sweep in the England Test series.

It's been a very impressive year for head coach Stacey Marinkovich and her team, who are now in a great position as we edge towards the 2023 Netball World Cup.

Netball's major tournament won't take place until July in Cape Town, with plenty of domestic netball to be played in-between. But given it's the last trophy missing from Australia's cabinet, everything the Diamonds have been building over the past year has had that overarching mission in mind.

So what can we take from the Diamonds' performances in their latest series? And how legitimate are their chances of lifting the World Cup?

Can Australia win the World Cup without Gretel Bueta?

Australian fans were sent into a bit of a panic last month when Gretel Bueta announced she was pregnant for the second time.

The unorthodox shooter has been the best player for the Diamonds in 2022, making an immediate impact in her return from her first pregnancy.

Bueta claimed the overall MVP award for that January Quad Series, with 107 goals at 93 per cent.

She also finished the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as the second-highest goal scorer, with 253 goals at 96 per cent.

Often described as a once-in-a-generation player, the confidence and attacking prowess Bueta brings to the line-up is unmatched and therefore makes her likely absence at the World Cup a big blow for the Australians.

The good news is that because Bueta made the announcement ahead of the Constellation Cup and England Test series, Marinkovich has been able to use this time to try to find a replacement.

Although they're going to be some big shoes to fill, a number of up-and-coming shooters waiting in the wings have now put their names forward for consideration.

Sophie Garbin was our hero against the Kiwis, bringing a strong hold and an accurate shot to the table. She combined nicely with vice-captain Steph Wood too, improving her chances of selection.

Meanwhile, against England, it was debutant Donnell Wallam who secured game one for the Diamonds with a match-winning goal in the dying seconds.

Her strong hold and height (193cm) are key assets to the team, while her basketball background – just like Bueta's – means her instinctive play is hard to defend.

Wallam is still relatively new to the sport, having been identified just four years ago in the West Australian pathways, but if she can add some more intentional movement to her game, she could very well become the most like-for-like replacement for Bueta.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the goal attack bib, Kiera Austin and Sophie Dwyer have performed in the absence of Wood (rested) throughout the England series.

Add in Cara Koenen, who can play both positions, and Marinkovich has one big selection headache.

While it's going to be tough without Bueta, Diamonds fans will at least feel quietly confident now that the team has the star power and depth required to challenge for the World Cup.

Will Ash Brazill be able to reclaim the WD bib?

After winning her first Commonwealth Games gold medal in August, Ash Brazill decided to hang up her netball dress and focus on her footy with the Collingwood Magpies for the AFLW season.

This means the mid-courter has missed both the Constellation Cup and England Test series.

In her place, Amy Parmenter was given an opportunity to debut, and after shaking off a nervous performance in her first international match, has more than made up for it with a huge work rate over her next five games (seven gains, five intercepts, eight deflections and seven pick-ups).

Jamie-Lee Price was another addition to the Diamonds line-up for these two series, after missing out on playing in the Commonwealth Games. The wing defence/centre played a solid role whenever she was given the opportunity to take the court and has likely cemented her place back in the line-up given her physical ability to shut down the opposition and take a direct route to the circle edge.

So where does that leave Kate Moloney? The other centre/wing defence in the side? Who also played beautifully throughout both series and at the Commonwealth Games.

If that wasn't enough, the Diamonds already have experienced campaigner Jo Weston who can easily slip from goal defence into wing defence.

With so many options, it's going to be tough for Brazill to forge her way back into the side, but given she's in the twilight of her career and was such a reliable force earlier in the year, she may still squeeze one of the current names out.

For this reason, the wing defence bib may be the most hotly contested position leading into the World Cup and selection will likely come down to form in the next Super Netball competition.

Should teams try to meet one more time ahead of the World Cup?

After game two in the England Test series, Roses head coach Jess Thirlby confirmed her side was trying to organise another international hit-out ahead of the World Cup.

This, they hope, will come in the form of another Quad Series in January, but nothing has been locked in yet.

The question is, would another series be more beneficial for England or Australia at this point?

After such a big year, Thirlby herself conceded she had some tired players on the roster, while the Australians are already staring down the barrel of another big 12 months, where they'll play a lot of domestic netball right up to the World Cup.

Marinkovich has already rested some of her big guns for the England series (captain Liz Watson and vice-captain Wood) and it's clear the Australians are in a stronger position, having won back-to-back meets and trialled a range of combinations.

So should player welfare take precedence here? Instead of another international tournament?

Super Netball teams will likely want their players focused on pre-season by then and they'll be no good to anyone if they're burned out before the domestic league even starts.

Australia has already faced England and New Zealand in recent months, and really, it's Jamaica that is probably the bigger question mark ahead of Cape Town.

Considering its dominance at the Commonwealth Games, and the scare it gave the Diamonds in the pool stages, it seems to be the team most likely to stand in Australia's way.

While it may be too hard to organise an international series against the Sunshine Girls, especially after the visa debacle surrounding their recent tour of New Zealand, the Diamonds will already get plenty of practice against Jamaica's best players in the Super Netball league.

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