Diamonds star hoses down awkward Games uniform issue
Updated . First published at
The Australian Diamonds quest to defend their Commonwealth Games gold has been overshadowed by a mishap with the team’s dresses, but shooter Sophie Garbin insists the clothing controversy is not impacting the team.
It did not take long for fans to notice Diamonds players were constantly pulling down their dresses when they defeated Tonga 99-38 over the weekend.
Kiera Austin and Sophie Garbin of Team Australia celebrate. Getty Images
Players inside the circle spent the majority of the game with their dresses riding up to their hips.
The issue did not just occur for those who were taking shots or defending, with midcourt players also spotted battling the same issue as they ran around.
The uniform issue was unable to be fixed in time for the Diamonds’ game against England, but it did not stop the team from claiming a 66-47 victory.
Fans on social media questioned whether manufacturers had run out of material when making the national team dresses and pleaded for Netball Australia to find a way to fix the issue before the team enters the next phase of the tournament.
Sascha Glasgow pointed out that England were also battling tailoring issues leading into the Commonwealth Games, but not to the extent of the Diamonds.
Glasgow, a star of the West Coast Fever in the Suncorp Super Netball, hopes Australia are able to “get their dresses sorted” soon.
“You’ve got to get things right for a performance,” Glasgow, an Australian-born England representative, said.
“It’s not great, you want to be comfortable. It’s the one thing we have to play in our game. Hopefully, they get their dresses sorted.”
Fran Williams, a fellow England rose and Fever star, agreed, adding: “It’s important that you feel comfortable in (your dress) because it’s a part of the game.”
While Australian players will be thankful for the England duo’s comments, Garbin made clear that the uniform problem is not an uncommon issue for netballers.
“I feel like as a netballer, I’m always tugging my dress down,” she said.
Cara Koenen competes for the ball Getty Images
“Obviously, we’ve noticed lots of the comments from other people, but I feel like on the court we’re used to dresses coming up and down.
“I don’t think it’s affecting our performances, so it’s OK. We might have a look at what we can do in the next couple of days, but we love our dress.
“We love what Valour have done with the pattern and the fabric and everything, so we’re really proud to wear it.”
Garbin doubled down on her view in a TikTok after Australia’s win over England, writing “how we feel about wearing the most talked about thing at the Comm Games ... we love it”.
The video was accompanied by audio that said, “because I’m iconic, and I love to do iconic shit.”
The official Commonwealth Games Australia account commented “you tell ’em” under Garbin’s post.
The Diamonds will return to the court on Wednesday morning when they face Malawi.
