Diamonds bolstered by Tests against Jamaica and England

The Australian Netball Diamonds 2009 international campaign has been bolstered with three additional Test matches against Jamaica and England announced for October.

An important phase in the Diamonds preparation to the 2010 Commonwealth Games campaign, the Tests will follow the World Netball Series in Manchester, with one match against England in Bath followed by two Tests against Jamaica in Kingston.

It will be the first time the Diamonds have toured Jamaica since 2005 and the 2009 tour will coincide with the celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Jamaican netball with national coach Norma Plummer excited about the challenge.

“It is a great opportunity to play England on the back of the World Netball Series while we are in the United Kingdom,” Plummer said.

“We are looking forward to the Jamaican tour because you never know what team they are going to come up with.

“They seem to be able to have these brilliant athletes that we might not see and the next minute they’ve lined up in the national team.

“So we’ve got to keep abreast of what they are feeding into their programs and this is going to be a good opportunity before Commonwealth Games to check out their depth.“

The additional three matches bring the Diamonds 2009 international campaign to nine Tests matches, which also include a series against arch rival New Zealand.

Plummer also believes that despite coming off the World Series with adapted rules and tactics, her team will change focus quickly and maximise the opportunity to play the third and fourth ranked netball nations.

“The World Series isn’t going to have an impact on our world ranking so I really want to take it as a great opportunity to experiment and have a bit of fun and enjoy it. That being said, we will move straight back into Test mode pretty easily,” Plummer said.

“This is also our build up to Commonwealth Games and World Championships. We’ve got to start getting the blend right pretty soon, so it’s crunch time for selection. “

The 2009/2010 Australian Netball Diamonds Squad will be announced on Tuesday July 28 following the ANZ Championship Grand Final.

Australian Netball Diamonds 2009 Schedule

Holden Netball Test Series (Australian Series)

Diamonds v World Selection
Wednesday September 2, ETSA Park Adelaide

Diamonds v Silver Ferns
Sunday September 6, Acer Arena Sydney

Wednesday September 9, Hisense Arena Melbourne

Sunday September 13, BCEC Brisbane

New World International Netball Series (NZ Series)

Diamonds v Silver Ferns

Sunday September 20, Stadium Southland, Invercargill
Wednesday September 23, Vector Arena, Auckland

World Netball Series

9-11 October, Manchester

England Series