A NEW ERA of Diamonds is set to be unleashed when Australia takes on New Zealand in the Constellation Cup in March. Littered with fresh faces across the court, newcomer Cara Koenen sees this as an opportunity to “create something a little bit different” for the Diamonds given the youth across the squad.

Having developed at an impressive rate over the past few seasons, the Magnetic Island local is looking to showcase all that she has learnt and improved on after a couple of seasons at Suncorp Super Netball level.

“To improve we’ve got to be able to grow, so I think that this new group poses a good opportunity for us to do that,” Koenen stated. “A lot of new faces means a lot of new learnings which should really create something a bit different, maybe that a lot of people haven’t seen before, which is very, very exciting for us and netball in Australia as a whole.”

Koenen is one of those fresh faces looking to create a change to the Diamonds, with the Sunshine Coast Lightning product more than chomping at the bit to get out on court and don the green and gold dress after being called up to the 14-player squad.

“Honestly, it’s still so surreal. I can’t believe it’s happening, all happening in less than a week. It’s insane, but (I’m) very, very excited.”

Koenen highlighted the overwhelming emotions she felt when recalling the moment she got the call that she had been selected in the Diamonds squad, with the young goaler noting how much of a rollercoaster ride it has been so far.

“It’s been quite a rollercoaster to be completely honest with you. Obviously, when I got the initial call saying that I had made the squad I was absolutely elated, completely over the moon. I pretty much burst into tears on the spot.

“It was honestly crazy and then going from that to then telling my family and all of that excitement and then it being announced publicly, to then kind of having Con Cup delayed, and a lot of uncertainty around what this tour was going to look like,” she said. “It’s been it’s been quite the rollercoaster but lucky to be here now.”

Being named in the squad is one thing, but earning her debut is another – and that is exactly what the goaler is aiming for. Putting in the hard yards at training and steadily developing her craft and connections, Koenen is working in overdrive to try and secure that elusive first cap in the green and gold to represent her nation.

“I mean it’s honestly hard to even fathom what the feeling would be like, I think it’s something that everyone aspires to, as athletes, to wear their country’s colours with pride,” Koenen said. “To be able to step out on court and stand arm in arm with my teammates, and sing the national anthem and then get out on court and play the game that I love would be completely surreal.

“I think that I’ve just tried to really do everything I can during this hotel quarantine period, I’ve really been taking it one day at a time. Making sure I’m doing all the one percenters that I need to do so that when we get out on court, and when selectors are watching, I’m putting my best foot forward and putting my hand up for selection.”

Joining the 24-year-old inside the circle and also looking for their first test caps are Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin, with the duo also added to the fray for the first time. Koenen highlighted the increased flexibility the Diamonds frontend has with these inclusions.

“We are all pretty brand spanking new so I honestly think it’s really exciting, I think that the one definite advantage is that a lot of the New Zealanders won’t have been able to have a look at us,” Koenen said.

“They’ve seen us in our SSN teams, but in this current environment they don’t really know what to expect, which I think is definitely an advantage for us, and I think a real strength of our group is that we are all very young, eager to learn but we’re also all very, very different players.”

With developing players such as Koenen, Garbin and Austin inside the circle comes a new brand of netball with Koenen excited about the versatility the squad has to offer against the Silver Ferns in the upcoming series. Each shooter boasts a highly different skillset, and while the Diamonds are still in the process of fine-tuning the freshly forged connections in attack, there is plenty of promise for the future.

“We’ve got the ability to change out between a very traditional Australian style of circle where we’ve got the holding shooter at the back with the mover at the front, but we’ve also added that extra versatility and creating quite a moving circle,” Koenen explained. “I think that’s a real asset to have in any team, to be able to keep the defence on their toes and switch up between those two different styles of play, will be a real asset for us.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to connect with the girls and again, I think we’re all just very eager to be able to push each other and get the best out of one another.”

Although the shooting circle is set to welcome a host of youngsters, Caitlin Bassett is likely to headline the attacking unit with Koenen crediting the wealth of knowledge the Diamonds captain has already imparted on her.

“We have been joking quite a bit about her level of experience in the Diamonds colours, but yeah, honestly, she’s invaluable to have as a part of the group. I think that the level head that she brings, especially amongst the group that we have who are all very, very young and inexperienced on this international stage will be a real asset for us.”

“She has been awesome in in taking all of our goalers under her wing and working together but I think what’s great about Caitlin is that she’s still very eager to learn. So as soon as you’re invited into that environment, she still wants to hear your opinion and what you think that she could do better, which is what makes her such a good leader and such a good experienced player in the group.”

Travelling to New Zealand for the Constellation Cup, Koenen and with her fellow Diamonds teammates have been forced into a COVID-19 quarantine period with the goaler highlighting the work Netball Australia put in to ensure the mental wellbeing of the athletes.

“Personally I was coming into this experience completely blind… and to Netball Australia’s credit, we were doing a whole lot of work on the ground back in Australia in the lead up, because we knew that this was going to be a challenging and unique experience that a lot of us weren’t exposed to last year.

“We did a lot of wellbeing work and a lot of prep work to make sure that we were in the best possible mental space that we could be. A few of the girls spoke to us about their experiences in whatever quarantine that they had to do to get up to Queensland to hub and compete in the SSN,” Koenen explained.

Acknowledging the efforts of Netball Australia, Koenen also highlighted how unique and daunting the whole quarantine process has been given the freedom she has enjoyed in Queensland.

“I was definitely coming in blind and I was a bit apprehensive about what it would look like, and I’ve kind of just been taking each day as it comes at the moment. Honestly, it is difficult – I don’t know how people do the full 14 days by themselves in a hotel.”

“But we are very, very blessed to be able to still come together and train so that we’re prepped and ready to hit the court next week but, yeah, it’s a tough one,” she said. “It is tough but it’s bringing us together I think as a group, and yeah, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, potentially, so we’re making the most of it for sure.”

With a couple of training sessions a day there is plenty of downtime for the 24-year-old who admits she is finding new ways to stay active both mentally and physically.

“I’ve just been doing quite a bit of reading. Lots of puzzling like crossword puzzles and sudoku and things like that, and yeah, like, having the occasional binge watch of Netflix, got to do it in moderation as well.”

“It’s trying to occupy our time as much as we can but we’re still connecting over zoom and I’m trying to stay in touch with my crew back on the Sunshine Coast as well, so that keeps me quite busy which is nice.”

Looking at her personal game, Koenen has quickly become known for her adaptability to switch from a holding goal shooter to a mobile goal attack to use her timing and netball smarts to full advantage, a number of factors she will be hoping to bring to the fore throughout the series and further perfect with the Diamonds.

“I think that a real strength of mine is my versatility across both of those positions and I’ve been working really, really hard at my goal attack game. In terms of where I prefer, anywhere on court is great for me, I’m happy with whatever, but yeah I think I’m probably more comfortable back at shooter,” Koenen said.

“But again, I think, stepping into this Diamond environment you might get out on court and be asked to play a very different role to what you’d be expected to play at your club environment so I’m just kind of taking on as much feedback as I possibly can from the coaches. I’m really looking to execute the game plan and whatever they want for me. I’m really focused on getting the job done out on court, whether that be with a goal shooter or a goal attack bib and who knows.”

Coming up against former Sunshine Coast Lightning coach and current New Zealand Silver Ferns head coach, Noeline Taurua, Koenen is tapping into her memory bank to unlock some of Taurua’s tricks of the trade to give her an edge when she hopefully steps out on court during the Constellation Cup series.

“I think I’ve definitely drawn on my time being coached by Noeline, and she had such a massive part in my development and she’s definitely had a hand in the player that I’ve become. So yeah, I definitely have been remembering back to what she and the discussions that she and Laura (Langman) would have, and even Erena Mikaere as well, the discussions that they would have about how they run their defence.

“I’ll definitely be trying to remember a few of those little tidbits and then I’ll be sharing those with the group. It goes both ways, I’m sure she remembers quite a few things that I prefer out on the netball court and she’ll be telling her defenders or attempting to tell her defenders how they might be able to shut me down, so it’ll be a really interesting challenge but again I think she’s a very clever coach,” Koenen said.

“We will have to have our wits about us down that attack end and we’ve got such a dynamic group, I think it’s going to be really exciting to see what we can put out on court.”

The Constellation Cup is set to kick off on Tuesday, March 2 in Christchurch, with each side faced with the difficult task of selecting a starting seven for their first clash.

–

Read our predicted starting sevens HERE.