{"id":195089,"date":"2025-10-07T09:19:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T09:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/195089\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T09:19:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T09:19:09","slug":"diamonds-looking-to-change-things-up-in-second-netball-test-against-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/195089\/","title":{"rendered":"Diamonds looking to change things up in second netball Test against South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich is expecting to mix-and-match against South Africa as they build towards reclaiming the Constellation Cup.<\/p>\n

The Australians are looking to extend a 47-game winning streak against the Proteas in their second Test on Wednesday night in Wollongong.<\/p>\n

But the mentor insists the team has to try new plays.<\/p>\n

Marinkovich said after not having played together for 339 days before last Saturday’s first-up win over South Africa, she needs to test several combinations to ready the team for the demands of the Constellation Cup.<\/p>\n

Diamonds prevail against plucky Proteas<\/a><\/p>\n

Australia has overcome South Africa to win 64-53 in the first netball Test in Bendigo.<\/p>\n

It comes as the Diamonds prepare to face arch-rivals New Zealand next week, where they’ll aim to wrest back the prized trans-Tasman trophy after losing the four-match series 3-1 last year.<\/p>\n

“Getting into different places where it’s not familiar, seeing new sights, experiencing different communities, and being able to walk into a new environment and doing something new (is key),” Marinkovich said.<\/p>\n

“The girls aren’t making it easy in terms of selection.<\/p>\n

“We’ve got a lot of variation with our squad, so you might see some different combinations.<\/p>\n

“We expect to lift our standard, and certainly South Africa will do the same. Once you feel what the others are doing out there, it’s who can adapt and shift.<\/p>\n

“You’re never comfortable, and that’s the great thing about international netball. Everyone’s hot on their heels, and we’ve got to be on our best.”<\/p>\n

One of the players who has been the talk of the Diamonds camp is Alice Teague-Neeld, who made her debut for Australia on Saturday night after a decade in the professional leagues.<\/p>\n

Shooter Cara Koenen said when she saw the mid-courter run out, she knew Teague-Neeld would grasp the opportunity.<\/p>\n

And she did as the 29-year-old helped cement the Diamonds’ 64-53 win over South Africa with a deflection and two turnovers.<\/p>\n

ABC Sport Daily podcast<\/a><\/p>\n

ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that’s making headlines.<\/p>\n

“Having a debut like she did, playing with a whole lot of freedom and confidence, just letting the ball go as a shooter on the receiving end, on some of her feeds, yeah, I’m really, really happy to see her in a Diamond dress,” Koenen said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0“To see her rewarded for all of her hard work and effort was really cool.”<\/p>\n

Wollongong will host the Diamonds for the first time in 13 years, and Koenen sees playing in regional towns as a good opportunity to grow the game in places outside of the major cities.<\/p>\n

“I’m from Sunshine Coast Lightning, which is a regional team up on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland,” she said.<\/p>\n

“It’s really important to bring professional sport to regional towns, especially like this one.<\/p>\n

“Everyone loves their sport in regional towns, I find, and it’s no different here in Wollongong.”<\/p>\n

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