Australia dominate England in Netball World Cup final 2023
Australia were crowned kings of netball for the 12th time on Sunday as they beat England 61-45 in the Netball World Cup final.
The Diamonds overcame Jamaica in the semifinals on Saturday to keep up their remarkable record of having never failed to reach the final in the tournament's history.
England defeated Australia during the group stage this week and eliminated reigning champions New Zealand in the last four to reach the final for the first time. They battled well in the early stages, but after a first quarter that ended 13-13, the contest was never really in their grasp.
Eleanor Cardwell was excellent in England's attack, but she could do little other than chip away at the deficit as Australia pulled away on the scoreboard. Courtney Bruce and Ash Brazill, playing in her final professional match, typified the Diamonds' dominant play with exceptional work off the ball, and their clinical use of possession simply never waivered. Once a solid lead was theirs, they never gave England a sniff, the star performance from Kiera Austin highlighting their strength in depth.
The final quarter turned into something of a celebration as the Roses accepted they were chasing a lost cause, although they kept pushing right until the final buzzer. A huddle of both sets of players underlined the positive spirit in which the gold-medal match was played, before Australia were left alone to celebrate on court.
"I'm never playing netball again, that's for sure," said Brazill afterwards. "How can I top this?"
