The Origin Australian Diamonds will adopt a new squad leadership approach for the upcoming Constellation Cup test series being played in New Zealand from 2-7 March.
Rather than appoint an ongoing captain or leadership group, all athletes within the squad will have the opportunity to lead the team, allowing the new coaching panel and Netball Australia to explore and maximise the group’s leadership potential.
To ensure International Netball Federation rules are met, a captain will be appointed by the coaching and selection panel ahead of each of the four Constellation Cup matches and this selection will be based on leadership capabilities and contributions on and off the court.
Origin Diamonds Head Coach Stacey Marinkovich is confident the new approach will bring out the best in her squad.
“This approach isn’t about diminishing about what’s been done in the past. One thing that has become clear within this new squad was that the players and coaching staff don’t want to put any limitations on what can be achieved by the group, so this leadership approach for the Constellation Cup series will encourage collective leadership across the squad and provide us with the opportunity to really identify our strengths and areas for development,” she said.
“We have only had limited time together as a full squad due to COVID and there are so many Suncorp Super Netball leaders within this squad, so this approach is all about maximising that skill set within the group and encouraging all athletes to be leaders regardless of how long they have been part of the squad.”
The new approach will be reviewed at the end of the series and the Origin Diamonds will aim to put a leadership group in place before the next international series, with players, coaching staff and Netball Australia having input into this process.
It is standard practice within the Origin Diamonds program for the leadership group to be reappointed when a new squad is selected.
The Origin Diamonds squad and staff travelled to Christchurch on Monday where they are now undertaking 14 days hotel quarantine.
The Constellation Cup test matches are then being played at Christchurch Arena on Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd March and then at Trustpower Baypark in Tauranga on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th March.
All Constellation Cup matches will be broadcast live on Nine, 9Gem and the Netball Live Official App.
The 2020 Constellation Cup was postponed due to the impact of COVID-19 on international travel.
Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand are hoping to complete two Constellation Cup tournaments in 2021, one in March and one in October.
