DIAMONDS vice-captain Gabi Simpson says the Quad Series that gets under way in Brisbane on Saturday is a significant step towards gold at next year’s Commonwealth Games.
Australia will take on England at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre followed by the clash between New Zealand and South Africa in a Boondall double-header featuring four of the best five netball nations in the world.
The Diamonds have been in camp on the Sunshine Coast all week and the newly appointed vice-captain said the opportunity to go head-to-head with their chief rivals for gold on the Gold Coast was priceless.
“Outside of Jamaica, you’ve got the best players in the world all in the one place,’’ Simpson said.
Diamonds vice-captain Gabi Simpson ahead of the Quad Series. Picture: Peter WallisSource:News Corp Australia
“We get to play against and learn all the different styles of netball that are so varied across the different countries.
“More importantly, the Quad Series is a chance for us to start establishing combinations.
“Individually, we have phenomenal players but it’s how we can bring all those strengths together for the best possible team performance.
“We’ve really utilised this camp to get through a lot of work and make sure everyone is on the same page.
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“We have a new defensive end that hasn’t played together so the match play has been vital in putting everything into practice so we can judge where we are at.’’
Simpson said England was strong at both ends of the court and was more than capable of punishing any Australian mistakes.
2017 NETBALL QUAD SERIES
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Saturday
Australia v England, 3pm
New Zealand v South Africa, 5pm
August 30
NZ v England (Auckland)
Australia v Sth Africa (Canberra)
September 3 (Invercargill, NZ)
England v Sth Africa
New Zealand v Australia
Originally published as Polishing Diamonds ahead of Comm Games
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