Ready for round two

By Stephanie Smarrelli

The last time the Australian Diamonds named a squad for a major tournament, Kate Moloney was left watching from the sidelines.

Missing selection for the 2023 World Cup was disappointing, but the Diamonds midcourter responded in the only way she knew how - by letting her netball do the talking.

Since then, Moloney has won a third national league premiership with the Melbourne Vixens, cemented her place in the Aussie Diamonds and been elevated to vice-captain ahead of this year's Commonwealth Games.

Looking back, Moloney says missing out only reinforced her appreciation for the quality of Australia's talent pool.

“At the time it hurt,” Moloney said.

“You want to be in every team but the great thing about netball in Australia is how much depth we have and the quality of players that we have here.  

“There's always competition for spots, I'm rapt to have been able to play some really good netball over the past couple of years and put myself back up in this position.”

Now preparing for her second Commonwealth Games campaign, Moloney is eager to help Australia defend the Commonwealth Games gold medal won in Birmingham.

"It's super exciting,” she said.

“We've got two major tournaments with the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup coming up.

“To be back in the team for my second Commonwealth Games is so exciting and hopefully we can head over there and win another gold medal.”

The tight tournament schedule presents one of the biggest challenges, with teams required to navigate seven matches in nine days to claim gold.

“Your ability to be able to play, recover, learn what you need from each game and then quickly move on is important,” Moloney said.

“But it's exciting, these are the tournaments you want to be involved in.  

"To be a part of Team Australia and the Australian Diamonds at a Commonwealth Games is really exciting.”

While recovery between matches will be critical, Moloney believes success ultimately comes down to embracing the demands of tournament netball.

"We can only control what we can,” she said.

“It's not so much about managing your body but about making sure we're ready to go for each game.  

“The management will come from the coaching and support staff, but we'll hit the court hard every game.

“It is a bit of a who can hold up as well as they can throughout the tournament to get through those rounds unscathed and head into the medal matches.”

England shapes as Australia's first major test of the tournament, but Moloney knows there will be no easy games in Glasgow.

“We come up against England in our second game, that's going to be tough,” she said.

“You always want to play against the New Zealanders as one of our oldest rivals.  

“We'll have the Jamaicans over there as well, who we know through our SSN competition are so tough.”

The Diamonds will travel to the other side of the world for this year's Games, but Moloney says the team is embracing the opportunity to recreate the success of 2014.

“The Diamonds won a gold medal in Glasgow in 2014,” Moloney said.

“It's a happy hunting ground for us there and hopefully we can go over and play well again.”

With a blend of experienced campaigners and emerging talent, Moloney believes Australia's greatest advantage lies within its own squad.

“One of the strengths of the Diamonds is the depth we have across our team,” she said.

“We've got some really different players and that's what's really exciting.  

“Stacey [Marinkovich] talks about wanting to make changes and she has something different that she can go to each time.  

“We're seeing some pretty amazing performances in the SSN, to bring the best of that into one team is super exciting.”