Collingwood Magpies April Brandley and Kelsey Browne have been named in the 13- player Samsung Australian Diamonds team who will compete in the 2019 Quad Series.
The Diamonds will travel to Liverpool and London this coming January and will battle it out against New Zealand, South Africa and England.
Coming straight off a strong Constellation Cup series win, Samsung Australian Diamonds Head Coach Lisa Alexander and national selectors have left the team unchanged. This decision was made to further develop combinations leading up to the 2019 Netball World Cup in July.
Both Magpies displayed impressive performances in the Constellation Cup side. Brandley was most versatile in defence whilst Browne starred in her introduction to international netball, twice being awarded Samsung Player of the Match.
“We’re taking five mid-court athletes to England in January so we can continue to explore and evolve our playing combinations and game plan as we head towards the World Cup,” she said
“Kate and Jamie-Lee both contributed differently to our mid-court during the Constellation Cup so we’re keen to explore those combinations a little bit further.
“I was very impressed with how we performed in both the recent Quad Series and Constellation Cup so I’m looking forward to January where we’ll again be competing on the world stage, further developing our game plans and starting to really build towards our 2019 World Cup campaign.”
Following the 2019 Quad Series, the Samsung Australian Diamonds will hold a squad training camp in March and selectors will finalise the 12-player 2019 Netball World Cup team to be decided in early June.
2019 Samsung Australian Diamonds Quad Series Team
Caitlin Bassett – Western Australia – GIANTS Netball
April Brandley – New South Wales – Collingwood Magpies
Kelsey Browne – Victoria – Collingwood Magpies
Courtney Bruce – Western Australia – West Coast Fever
Emily Mannix – Victoria – Melbourne Vixens
Jamie-Lee Price – New South Wales – GIANTS Netball
Kate Moloney – Victoria – Melbourne Vixens
Gabi Simpson – New South Wales – Lorna Jane Queensland Firebirds
Caitlin Thwaites – Victoria – Melbourne Vixens
Gretel Tippett – Queensland – Lorna Jane Queensland Firebirds
Liz Watson – Victoria – Melbourne Vixens
Jo Weston – Victoria – Melbourne Vixens
Stephanie Wood – Queensland – Sunshine Coast Lightning