‘Not time to panic’: Disbelief as critics turn blowtorch on Diamonds

Diamonds great Cath Cox says no one should worry about the state of Australian netball after the nation’s shock bronze medal finish at the Commonwealth Games.

A surprise semi-final loss to emerging power Jamaica captured attention in the netball world as, for the first time in the tournament’s history, Australia did not qualify for the gold medal match.

The Diamonds settled for bronze with a dominant win over England, while the Sunshine Girls claimed the silver medal and New Zealand won gold.

But the hurt of losing a major tournament semi-final left Australians looking for answers.

While one loss is all it took for critics to swarm the team, former Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander told nine.com.au the squad is still the “most skilled in world netball” but they have become “too predictable” on the court.

Alexander floated potential changes that could be made to the squad for the Constellation Cup - an upcoming test series against Commonwealth champions, the Silver Ferns - to bring a “difference” to the way the national team plays.

Cox disagrees with Alexander’s “big statement”, telling nine.com.au that the critics had been too harsh on the Diamonds.

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Complacency isn’t the issue. The Diamonds are just ‘too predictable’

“They didn’t get flogged by 50 in the semi-final, it was an incredibly close game that could’ve gone either way,” Cox said.

“They lost by one in the dying seconds of the game. Had they won that, I would have backed them in to go all the way.

“I think everyone is a bit down on them at the moment because we are so passionate about sport in this country, and we love our Diamonds.

“It is certainly not time to panic - it’s not time to panic about the state of netball. I thought our tournament was brilliant. Yes, we would’ve loved to see them win ... but the end result is that international netball is in an incredibly good place.”

Cox admitted she was surprised by how good Jamaica were in Glasgow, especially in the absence of star shooters Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and Shimona Nelson.

But she added that the power of Jamaica’s defence - Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Jodi-Ann Ward and Latanya Wilson - capitalised on their involvement in Australia’s domestic competition, the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN).

Players who featured in that competition’s final had less than two weeks to prepare for the tournament in Glasgow.

Wilson and Sterling-Humphrey, in fact, made up the defensive duo that helped the Thunderbirds win the SSN title this season, coming up against Vixens and Australia duo Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin in the grand final.

Cox believes Super Netball’s contribution to the improvement of international netball is something Australia should be proud of.

“We’re helping develop other countries and the Diamonds get to benefit from playing against those incredible players week in, week out,” she said.

Cox urged players and Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich to switch off social media, avoid the outside noise and take time to rest.

Once the reset is complete, the team can get back together and work out how to deal with the Silver Ferns, who have had a rollercoaster 18 months due to internal sagas, at the Constellation Cup.

The annual Trans-Tasman test series is never an easy task for either side, but a major gold medal for New Zealand has added fuel to the fire for Australia.

“I would have been nervous coming up against the Silver Ferns at the Constellation Cup even before the Commonwealth Games (result),” Cox said.

“They’ve taken it to us in the last two or three (series). They potentially could’ve taken the last one when it went to extra time ... they just seem to lift.

“This Constellation Cup is going to be something that everybody wants a piece of ... off the back of that gold-medal effort.

“I think what they’ve done off the back of the drama of the last 12 months is quite amazing, and they should be really holding their heads up high over there.”