There would be no slip-ups this time as the Diamonds defeated Jamaica to win the gold medal match in Birmingham,marking 1000 Commonwealth golds for Australia.
As the Diamonds take the rough road to the gold medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games,bigger questions are being asked about netball’s future.
Follow along for all the major moments and reactions as competition begins at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
As far as sporting upsets go at the Commonwealth Games,a Barbados win against netball heavyweights Australia on Friday would be as big as it gets.
The Australian Diamonds are the world’s top team but don’t currently hold the World Cup or the Commonwealth Games gold medal,they can fix the latter with a win in Birmingham but hometown England and New Zealand shape as tough competition.
The England Roses led at every point throughout the match but were pipped by the Diamonds in the final quarter.
Australia looked to have victory within their grasp against their fellow Quad Series finalists but a late fightback set the stage for the decider.
Ethiopian-born netballer Sunday Aryang was named in the extended squad to travel to London for the series before being named to make her debut in the match.
Australia have won their first match in the series in London against the Silver Ferns in a promising sign for their 2022 Commonwealth Games campaign.
The Diamonds play their first international series in almost a year this week. It’s set to show Australia sits against the rest of the world ahead of the all-important 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Australia are preparing to take on England,New Zealand and South Africa next week in their final series before this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.