By Sophie Taylor
Game one done, and in solid fashion from the Origin Diamonds who collected a 70-57 victory over the England Roses.
Hosted at a packed out, 9,102 strong South Australian crowd at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, the Diamonds started strong and did not relent throughout a tough and physical contest.
A hard-fought opening term set the scene as both the Diamonds and Roses proved there were no easy wins.
The two sides went goal-for-goal early before defensive excellence from new-look combination Sarah Klau and Sunday Aryang allowed the Diamonds to pull ahead and remain there.
Klau’s start on Suncorp Super Netball foe Eleanor Cardwell played into the Diamonds’ hands as the midcourt effort from Liz Watson, Jamie-Lee Price and Paige Hadley kept the transition seamless at the other end.
The second quarter had everything.
The tried and tested Melbourne Vixens combination between Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin was almost unstoppable, firing on all cylinders.
That shared load allowed the Diamonds take a solid lead into half time, forcing England’s defence to spread thin.
Meanwhile, Lois Pearson entered the game in goal attack as Housby slotted back to goal shooter, adding a burst of speed to the England attack.
The third quarter arrived with a third goaling option to counter the Diamonds’ defensive pressure as Liv Tchine entered the game in goal shooter.
From there, changes were swung in the Diamonds’ defence as Tilly Garrett entered the court to an exciting home crowd welcome and Kate Moloney took the court to enter the final term.
It was a much-improved second half from the Roses as they drew back momentum to claim an important third quarter win, whittling down the lead to eight at the final change.
Unfortunately for the Aussies, that momentum kept swinging in a challenging start to the final 15 minutes.
The margin got down to five goals midway through the fourth term, but a strong second wind from the Aussies returned them the lead to sail home with an impressive 13-goal victory.
Rudi Ellis made an exciting debut in the green and gold, becoming Diamond #192 as Australia recorded its highest ever score against England (70 goals).
Australia and England will shape up on Sunday afternoon in Sydney for match two of the series before heading to Bendigo for the decider next week.
