MERE hours after wrapping up their series with England, the Australian Diamonds have announced their squad for their next series, the four match Constellation Cup against New Zealand.

It is essentially the same squad as the one that took on England, but with a few key changes made in the defence end.

Ash Ervin drops out of the squad, and is replaced by experienced pair Courtney Bruce and Jo Weston, who both missed the England series with injury.

Diamonds’ coach Stacey Marinkovich said a big focus will be to continue to explore combinations and versatility against the Silver Ferns. 

“It’s a great opportunity to further explore our combinations with the inclusion of Jo and Courtney, and also the integration of players who have been evolving in both their individual performances and as a unit,” Marinkovich said.

“We have versatility in the rotations that we can play, and we will continue to attack the opposition in a variety of different ways.”

She is also well aware of the challenge that faces her and her troops in playing the Silver Ferns.

“There’s no greater challenge than playing the Silver Ferns in New Zealand, particularly based on our history,” Marinkovich continued.

“Not only are we trying to solidify the way we want to play, but we want to be able to do it away from home.”

The 2024 Constellation Cup kicks off on October 20 in Wellington, before moving to Auckland three days later. It then jumps the ditch and comes to Australia, where Perth will host match three on October 27, followed by the series’ finale in Melbourne three days later.

Australian Diamonds 2024 Constellation Cup squad

Sunday Aryang

Kiera Austin

Courtney Bruce

Sophie Dwyer

Rudi Ellis

Sophie Garbin

Matilda Garrett

Paige Hadley

Georgie Horjus

Sarah Klau

Cara Koenen

Kate Moloney

Jamie-Lee Price

Liz Watson

Jo Weston