Reinvented Robinson back in Diamonds fray

Madi Robinson admits her sudden ascent from Commonwealth Games spectator to leader was a distant dream when surprisingly axed from the side last year.

But the midcourter says it's that ruthlessness which is keeping the Diamonds on top of the world as they aim to keep their hands on every major international trophy on the Gold Coast.

Now 30, Robinson feared the game had "passed her by" when dropped by Lisa Alexander in August, just weeks after being named vice-captain.

The 2014 Commonwealth gold medallist watched as the side went unbeaten from then until now, marking them as clear favourites to win a fourth title from six Games.

A knee injury ruled her out of the 2015 World Cup in Sydney and Robinson figured her wicked bad luck at major home events was set to continue.

"I was at home and I was like 'they're playing so well, I won't be able to get in'," she told AAP.

"I was turning 30 and thought 'maybe the game had passed me by'. Mentally I was there and doing what I could, but maybe physically it'd gone by."

However, behind closed doors in a January training camp, Robinson showed Alexander she could bot be ignored and forced her way back in at the expense of Vixens captain Kate Moloney.

"It was a harsh call, but we needed to explore all of our depth in our centre court," the coach said of Robinson's demotion.

"People didn't see the trials (in January) but we saw the sorts of things we needed to from a world class wing attack and you can't ignore that.

"We're not about your last result, we're about improving what you need to improve."

Robinson admitted her dropping "came out of the blue" but had never taken her spot for granted.

"That's why we've got such a high performance program, because we're so competitive and you've got to fight and earn the right to play in this team," the Victorian said.

The Diamonds will play their first of five pool games in seven days against Northern Island on Thursday.