Success against New Zealand and England has put Australia in a strong position ahead of next year’s tournament in Cape Town
A squad mentality is a shift for the national side, given Australia have historically had a killer starting seven, with filler used to top up as needed, despite protestations to the contrary.
While the Diamonds lost the first two legs on the other side of the Tasman Sea by eight and four goals respectively, they recovered to take the final two and the trophy in Australia, winning 62-47 and 57-53 thanks to two solid performances from international rookie Sophie Garbin. Garbin had replaced Bueta in the 14-woman squad, then game-day 12, and then starting seven.
Brazill was pivotal in Birmingham but as with the attack end, several would-be replacements stepped into the breach. In particular, Amy Parmenter staked her claim for the wing defence bib with strong performances across both series. She was MVP in Sunday’s 56-48 win at Sydney’s Qudos Bank arena, but Jamie-Lee Price and Kate Moloney were equally impressive at times.