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The Australian Diamonds have once again proven why they're the number one team in the world, bringing home the Nations Cup on Monday morning with a 20-goal win over England. The Diamonds remained undefeated for the tournament while also testing and developing new combinations all over the court as we enter a new international cycle. They also made history once again, playing Uganda for the first time outside of Fast Five. Vice captain Paige Hadley was instrumental in the midcourt, and was named Player of the series for her efforts, while goaler Sophie Garbin was named Player of the match in the final, scoring 31 goals at 97 percent accuracy. ESPN takes a look at the three biggest talking points from the Nations Cup. Diamonds' defence rose to the challenge Across the Nations Cup the Diamonds have encountered three of the best goal shooters in the world in Grace Nweke, Eleanor Cardwell and Mary Cholhok with each proving a challenge to the Diamonds defence end. The defensive quartet of Courtney Bruce, Sarah Klau, Jo Weston and Sunday Aryang were incredible across the four matches, no matter the combination in the defensive circle, and were able to get tips and touches on the ball, piling pressure on their opposites. Klau had her game of the tournament against Uganda in what was her 50th Test for the Diamonds. She got the job to go head-to-head against Cholhok with Bruce out the front in goal defence, before the pair switched in the last quarter with Weston moving out to wing defence. Klau was able to nullify her impact by really confusing the space and playing a tight one-on-one style. Klau finished the match with two interceptions, two gains, three deflections and one pick up.  Meanwhile Bruce spent more time at goalkeeper in the opening two games, battling against Nweke and Cardwell in what were two fierce battles. The reigning Liz Ellis Diamond winner picked up where she left off in 2023 while also spending some time out in goal defence, across the tournament Bruce combined for 10 gains, six intercepts, and eight deflections. Bruce was especially strong in the final against England, forcing the change that saw Cardwell leave the court ahead of the second quarter bringing on South Australian product Sasha Glasgow for her first minutes against Australia. Cardwell was then brought back on during the third quarter but the margin had already blown out with the Diamonds defensive pressure causing unforced errors from the Roses. Sophie Dwyer making the most of her opportunities The beginning of 2024 means the start of a new cycle for World Netball and while the Netball World Cup isn't for another three years, players would want to do the work now to start to solidify themselves as key players in the Diamonds squad. While you've got the usual suspects in Cara Koenen and Sophie Garbin that do the job everytime they don the green and gold dress, Sophie Dwyer has proven that she's more than capable of becoming the Diamonds next starting goal attack and at the age of 22 can see the Diamonds into the next World Cup. The goaler has grown in the few months between the Constellation Cup and the South Africa Test series to this tournament. Dwyer has a natural instinct to just turn and shoot, which is something that the Diamonds had been lacking in the two Constellation Cup games in New Zealand late last year. She featured in three out of the four games, missing the game against Uganda with Donnell Wallam getting the call up.  In the first game against the Silver Ferns, Dwyer was subbed in during the 11 minute mark of the third quarter and changed the game, she didn't score a high volume of goals but her movement in the circle was something else for the Silver Ferns defence to think about. Dwyer's game only grew with the more court time she got across the tournament. Her form was rewarded by Stacey Marinkovich by getting the start in both games against the Roses alongside Garbin in goal shooter, in a combination known to fans as Sophie Squared. Dwyer was exceptional during the final, scoring 22 goals with an accuracy of 88 percent. Her composure to turn and shoot was amazing, making the difficult things look effortless. With the Sophie Squared combination once again playing a key role in the Diamonds attack end. Defensive midcourters shine When you think of the Diamonds midcourt your mind normally goes to the likes of Liz Watson and Paige Hadley but across the Nations Cup it was Jamie-Lee Price and Kate Moloney that stood tall. With no specialist wing defence selected, Price and Moloney spent the series rotating through wing defence and centre and both stood out at different points throughout the four game tournament.  Price has been in the Diamonds environment for six years now, making her Diamonds debut back in 2018 and this series saw her solidify her place in the Diamonds starting lineup. Playing across centre and wing defence for the series, she really led from the front in the side's midcourt recording 48 feeds, 26 goal assists, 25 second phase receives, two intercepts and one deflection across the five games. For Moloney, it was an opportunity to become a key player in the Diamonds squad after going to the World Cup as a traveling reserve. The match against Uganda was a standout with Moloney having 26 feeds and 16 goal assists for the match after coming on at the start of the third quarter. It'll make it hard for Amy Parmenter to break back into the squad, with the newest Melbourne Maverick having missed out on the tournament with the Diamonds opting for more versatility in the 13 player squad.
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