International netball in 2023 will kick off with a bang with the annual Quad Series beginning this weekend.
In its eighth edition, the four competing nations – Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa – will battle it out for the silverware in Cape Town in South Africa.
The four teams currently sit within the top five in the INF world rankings and will provide a glimpse into what’s to come for the Netball World Cup, which will be held later this year across July and August.
The upcoming World Cup will also be held in Cape Town, which places more importance on this year’s Quad Series.
“This year it’s vital,” said GIANTS Coach Julie Fitzgerald.
“It’s in South Africa, played at the same venue that the World Cup will be at. All the things they will require for later this year they can get a feel for and it’s only going to make it feel more like home come July.”
Three GIANTS will represent their home nations with Jo Harten (England), Jamie-Lee Price (Australia) and Sophie Dwyer (Australia) set to don their national colours.
“Jamie-Lee is getting more and more confident on the international stage and she’s really grown into the centre position both at SSN and now at the international level and she’s making it her own,” Fitzgerald said.
“She’s got that versatility though and can slip back into wing defence if needed.
“Sophie is a developing player and it’s fantastic to see her get another chance with the Diamonds – she’s only going to get better so it’s going to be exciting to see what she can do in this series.
“One of Sophie’s strengths is her ability to play with any style of shooting partner and to seamlessly combine with any combination.
“Jo is an experienced campaigner and it will be great to see how she injects her cleverness into the game to help England build some momentum leading into World Cup.”
Aside from the obvious Diamonds and England clash, Fitzgerald said she is looking forward to seeing what New Zealand can deliver.
“They have some really good players coming back in and they built some strong connections during the Constellation Cup,” she said.
When asked her predictions, Fitzgerald said:
“I’m tipping the Diamonds to win but if New Zealand live up to their potential, I’m predicting they’ll be the ones facing off against Australia.”
Fixture (all dates and times in AEDT)
January 22
1:00am - Spar Proteas v Silver Ferns
3:00am - Australia v Vitality Roses
January 23
1:00am - Spar Proteas v Vitality Roses
3:00am - Australia v Silver Ferns
January 25
1:00am - Vitality Roses v Silver Ferns
3:00am - Spar Proteas v Australia
January 26
1:00am - 3rd and 4th play offs
3:00am - FINAL
