It’s been a no-holds-barred begin to Australia’s netball semi-final against England at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
So bodily has the essential conflict been {that a} participant has crashed into and damaged a post.
See the huge collision in the video participant above
Stream Seven’s protection of the Commonwealth Games 2022 at no cost on 7plus >>
England goal defence Layla Guscoth went for an intercept, with the momentum of the effort sending her crashing into the post.
She obtained up smiling and was unhurt and capable of proceed the recreation.
Not a lot for the post – it wanted to get replaced.
After a brief pause in the recreation, the bent post was pulled out and a brand new one slotted into its place.
The sport remains to be underway. You possibly can stream it dwell or observe dwell protection right here.
Wounded Diamonds out for netball payback
Australia’s path to netball gold in Birmingham was all the time seemingly should undergo England, and so it stays regardless of the Diamonds shock loss to Jamaica.
As a substitute of dealing with the English in what everybody assumed can be the gold medal recreation – in a rematch of the epic 2018 battle for gold on the Gold Coast – a wounded Australia are taking over the host nation in the semi-finals.
That comes after the Aussies couldn’t end off the job once they took a six-goal lead into the ultimate interval against Jamaica in their ultimate Pool A recreation, the Sunshine Women leaping on the again of celebrity shooter Jhaniele Fowler to tug off one of the largest upsets of the Games.
It handed Jamaica high spot in the pool, and consigned Australia to second and a conflict with Pool B winners England.
“This is the part where this group is really resilient, they’re really focused on how to improve,” Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich mentioned.
“They’ll walk away from this (loss to Jamaica) understanding that we can play good netball and be successful, but you’ve got to do that for four quarters.
“To let it slip the way we did, that’s the part they’ll learn from most.”
And it’s a ache Marinkovich drives her crew to place collectively a four-quarter efficiency against England.
Then there may be additionally that little factor referred to as revenge, after England’s epic 52-51 win in the Gold Coast gold medal match – when Jo Harten scored after the ultimate siren.
It was the first time neither Australia or New Zealand had claimed Commonwealth Games netball gold.
4 Diamonds gamers from that recreation are half of the squad in Birmingham – Courtney Bruce, Jo Weston, Steph Wooden and skipper Liz Watson.
The English imagine organisers have executed them few favours with the scheduling, with Australia’s ultimate pool recreation against Jamaica held some 12 hours earlier than England’s ultimate preliminary match against New Zealand on Thursday night time.
“They’ve played early in the morning so have pretty much an extra day’s rest on us,” mentioned England goal-keeper Geva Mentor, one of 5 English gamers getting back from the Gold Coast Games.
“They’ll go away and do their homework – their assistant coach is my coach at home, so I know how hard they’ll review the game (against Jamaica), and watch our game (against New Zealand).
“I expect them to be licking their wounds but move straight on.”
