Netball: Diamonds get to grips with tale of survival

Adine Wilson

The Diamonds have turned to a story of survival to help spur them on in tomorrow's sudden-death semifinal clash against the Sting.

The team watched the film Touching the Void this week which is based on a true story about two English trampers who set out to conquer a mountain in Peru.

Tied together they reached the top, but were separated on the descent after one of the climbers was injured and had to be cut free.

Falling metres down the mountain the climber broke his leg and crushed his knee, but through courage and determination survived the near-freezing temperatures and managed to struggle back to base camp.

It's that sort of determination the Diamonds will need when they tackle the Sting in Auckland.

The Diamonds will go into the match with some confidence, having beaten the Sting by four in round-robin play.

In that match the key to the Diamonds' success was their defence. Stephanie Bond and Kathryn Harby-Williams were effective in containing the Sting's Tania Dalton and Donna Loffhagen.

Dalton is struggling with the knee she had operated on last year, so that is an area where the Diamonds could have the edge again.

Missing from the Sting line-up on that occasion was Adine Wilson, out for three-quarters of the season with a knee injury. Since her return the Sting have shown glimpses of their former selves.

The Diamonds and the Sting are similar in style in that they play with a lot of speed and have mobile shooters. The team who treasure their possession the most could win the match.

Diamonds coach Sue Hawkins said she was looking for "patience and persistence" from her team.

Too often the Diamonds had lost valuable possession through lack of control.

"We don't have any choice. We have to be polished with what we do with the ball every time we get it.

"We need to use the full three seconds to our advantage without trying to hot tail it off at one and a half seconds.

"The other thing is making sure that everyone does their job really well down court."

If the Diamonds' season ends tomorrow, the match will be the last for former Australian captain Harby-Williams.

She and her husband Cory are understood to be keen to start a family in Auckland and step out of spotlight a little.

"She has done an absolutely amazing job here and is terrific to have in a team. She has got that never-say-die attitude," Hawkins said.

"She knows when it's time to get out, and that is smart. If she was interested in doing some specialist coaching next year I'd love to have her involved."

Tomorrow

National Bank Cup playoffs

Diamonds v Sting, Waitakere Stadium 1pm, live TV One