By Matt Fotia
Origin Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich was happy with her side’s performance on Thursday night, as the world champions ran out winners against England, 70-57, in Adelaide.
The Diamonds were impressive at both ends of the court, missing just four goal attempts for the match, and collecting 13 gains in defence, more than double the England defenders.
Marinkovich who was anxious leading into the Diamonds first match since January 29, was pleased her side was able to re-discover their on-court connections.
“It feels like forever,” Marinkovich said.
“I’ve been watching so many SSN games, just waiting to see them get out there.
“In camp you always see them working hard, competing hard against each other, but (you’re not sure) what’s going to transfer (on gameday).”
The Diamonds were exciting in attack, with their slick ball movement too much for the English defence to handle.
Goal attack Kiera Austin led the way with 29 feeds, while veterans Liz Watson (26) and Paige Hadley (20) provided regular service for goal shooter Sophie Garbin, who impressed with 46 goals.
Sophie Garbin was impressive in attack.Marinkovich said the way the Diamonds moved the ball was one of the more pleasing aspects of the win.
“To get 70 goals in a game means the ball is moving fast and we’re getting enough supply,” Marinkovich explained.
“You can see there are more structural plays coming into (our game), we’re not just relying on individuals to get ball.
“There was some real ball speed, we didn’t just have to use our foot speed the whole time, we could use the angles and there were lots of options.”
England threatened to mount a comeback during the third quarter, upping their intensity on court and shifting the momentum to cut the margin to eight goals at the final change.
Marinkovich said the players were still re-adjusting to the ebbs and flows of international netball, citing the lack of timeouts, which are available to players in the SSN, as one of the contributing factors.
“There was more physical presence in their set up and I think we became a little bit stagnant, and when you get stagnant all lines of movement stop,” Marinkovich stated.
“They (the players) haven’t played together for a while, so they’ve got to get used to the ebbs and flows.
“There’s no timeouts and you could feel the momentum shifting and you’re sitting there thinking if this was an SSN game there would a be a timeout (called) right now.
“They (the players) needed to be able to communicate and I thought they adjusted pretty well.”
Marinkovich was also pleased with the defensive pairing of Sarah Klau, who was named Player of the Match, and Sunday Aryang, a partnership which is still in the early stages of development.
“We’ve got to keep solidifying certain things,” Marinkovich explained.
“Sarah (Klau) and Sunday (Aryang) haven’t played in a starting rotation before.
“They’ve been in the squad together, but to be able to put that combination out there and see what it could do was really pleasing.”
Melbourne Vixens defender Rudi Ellis came onto the court for the final five minutes of the match, becoming Diamonds player 192 in the process.
Rudi Ellis became Diamond 192 against England.Marinkovich explained the sudden rise of the circle defender, from training camp invitee to international netballer.
“SSN really gives you an invitation into the Diamonds, but once you come it’s about what do you do with the opportunity,” Marinkovich said.
“She (Ellis) has got great athleticism, she can get up in the air and I think we just saw some things she’s been able to connect.
“She really took on the opportunity to have a presence, she’s been able to contribute to conversation and she’s learning every time she steps out.
“That’s pretty exciting.”
