Diamonds captain Liz Watson doesn’t regret taking the stand that has left cash-strapped Netball Australia scrambling to replace $15 million in lost sponsorship.
The wing attack put aside a fortnight of off-court controversy with an influential performance in Sunday’s emotional comeback defeat of New Zealand on the Gold Coast.
The 57-52 victory was enough to reclaim the Constellation Cup on goal difference, with Australia winning both games on home soil after dropping the first two in New Zealand.
Their resilient performance followed a week of unprecedented drama under Watson’s reign.
NA was accused of virtue signalling when Hancock Prospecting pulled a four-year, $15 million high performance commitment.
Mining firm Roy Hill, majority-owned by Hancock, will also withdraw its $2 million sponsorship of Netball WA and the West Coast Fever.
It stemmed from West Australian player Donnell Wallam – set to become just the third Indigenous Diamond when she debuts this week against England – taking exception to the company’s record on Indigenous matters dating back 40 years to comments by owner Gina Rinehart’s late father Lang Hancock.
Wallam’s teammates had supported her private concerns and initial requests not to wear the company’s logo on her uniform during the three-Test England series.
The deal was surprisingly pulled on Saturday despite the goaler reportedly agreeing to wear the logo on her uniform, leaving the cash-strapped organisation scrambling for a new backer.
That’s unlikely to be Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes.
His staff told AAP on Monday that the Australian tech billionaire is not in talks with Netball Australia to add to his sporting portfolio, which includes stakes in the NBA’s Utah Jazz and NRL’s South Sydney.
“We’re disappointed that the sponsorship is off the table,” Watson said. “We were very excited, wanted to support it.
“But we supported Donnell, the growth of this program and we’ve showed different learning points along the way, from an organisation and players as well.
“We speak about an environment where everyone feels comfortable and can perform at their best.
“That’s what I take out of this … and I think we were able to show that (in Sunday’s win).
“I love this group, I’m so proud of every single one of them, it’s not just Donnell, it’s everyone.”
Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich was measured when asked if she too was proud of the players’ stance, admitting the issue “got a little bigger than what it needed to be”.
“They were able to provide an environment where someone felt safe enough to raise a concern,” she said.
“It’s how you work through that is where you grow as a group.”
A sold-out crowd delighted in the side’s comeback win, their first appearance on the Gold Coast since a gutting Commonwealth Games final loss to England in 2018.
The side redeemed themselves at the Birmingham Games earlier this year, where netball was the hottest ticket in town, also won the Quad Series this year and have their sights set on next year’s World Cup.
“We play a game that people really enjoy to watch; an exciting brand of netball,” the coach said.
“There’s nothing better than where netball is in the world at the moment, there’s no guarantee of any win anywhere.
“We do present ourselves well and show some really strong values and this whole experience has enabled us to grow as a sport and will take us in a great direction.”
