Commonwealth Games 2022 netball squads: Teams revealed, Australian Diamonds fixtures

England has just revealed a strong squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games netball tournament. See all the teams here as they are announced, plus analysis and Australia’s fixture.

Linda Pearce

@LindaCPearce

2 min read

June 22, 2022 - 7:52AM

Australian captain Liz Watson will lead the Diamonds Commonwealth Games team. Picture: Josie Hayden

Commonwealth Games netball squads for Birmingham 2022: all 12 teams named and analysed here once announced, plus fixture for Australian Diamonds games.

Australia

Liz Watson (captain)

Steph Wood (vice-captain)

Sunday Aryang

Kiera Austin

Ash Brazill

Courtney Bruce

Gretel Bueta

Paige Hadley

Sarah Klau

Cara Koenen

Kate Moloney

Jo Weston

Reserves: Ruby Bakewell-Doran, Jamie-Lee Price, Donnell Wallam

Coach: Stacey Marinkovich

Linda Pearce analysis: Only first-year captain Liz Watson and her deputy Steph Wood, plus defenders Courtney Bruce and Jo Weston, remain from the squad that brought home a surprise silver from the Gold Coast in 2018. Still ranked No.1 but with an average of barely 25 caps per player, this is a team relatively light on experience and with coach Stacey Marinkovich on debut in any capacity at a pinnacle event, but a hunger for redemption and the class and talent to return to the podium’s stop step.

Diamonds shooter Gretel Bueta. Picture: Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Barbados

TBC

England

Nat Metcalf (captain)

Jo Harten (vice-captain)

Eleanor Cardwell

Jade Clarke

Beth Cobden

Sophie Drakeford-Lewis

Stacey Francis-Bayman

Layla Guscoth

Helen Housby

Laura Malcolm

Geva Mentor

Eboni Usoro-Brown

Coach: Jess Thirlby

Linda Pearce: Not much sign of a rebuild here; this is a super-seasoned, almost geriatric, squad with an eye only on the Birmingham prize. No room for Chelsea Pitman, but 925 caps between them, including the 185-Test super-veteran Jade Clarke. In contrast to the Diamonds, there are only four Commonwealth Games debutantes — headed by Dr Layla Guscoth — while seven of the triumphant Gold Coast 12 return, plus Stacey Francis-Bayman from Glasgow.

England shooter Helen Housby. Picture: Chloe Knott/Getty Images for England Netball

Jamaica

TBC

Malawi

TBC

New Zealand

TBC

Northern Ireland

Caroline O’Hanlon (captain)

Jenna Bowman

Ciara Crosbie

Emma Magee

Georgie McGrath

Michelle Drayne

Niamh Cooper

Frances Keenan

Fionnuala Toner

Michelle Magee

Olivia McDonald

Maria McCann

Coach: Elaine Rice

Linda Pearce: The minnows of Group B, who were coached into 10th place by Aussie Dan Ryan four years ago, have picked five UK Superleague athletes, including skipper Caroline O’Hanlon and Leeds Rhinos premiership player Michelle Magee, 22, plus Surrey Storm pair Niamh Cooper and Emma Magee of the Severn Stars.

Northern Ireland’s Caroline O’Hanlon. Picture: Chloe Knott/Getty Images for England Netball

Scotland

Claire Maxwell (captain)

Emily Nicholl (vice-captain)

Lynsey Gallagher

Niamh McCall

Emma Barrie

Iona Christian

Hannah Leighton

Sarah MacPhail

Lauren Tait

Rachel Conway

Bethan Goodwin

Kelly Boyle

Coach: Tamsin Greenway

Linda Pearce: The Thistles — what else? — have Claire Maxwell returning as captain and the well-known former Rose, now Sky commentator, Tamsin Greenway taking over as coach. The bad news: the second-lowest-ranked team in Group A play the world No.1 Diamonds in their opener on July 30. The middling news: there’s Wales, likely medallist Jamaica, likely stragglers Barbados, and world No.5 South Africa to come.

Scotland captain Claire Maxwell. Picture: Jan Kruger/Getty Images for Vitality

South Africa

Bongiwe Msomi (captain)

Khanyisa Chawane

Izette Griesel

Boitumelo Mahloko

Phumza Maweni

Tshinakaho Mdau

Lenize Potgieter

Lefebre Rademan

Monique Reyneke

Nicola Smith

Nichole Taljaard

Elmere van der Berg

Shadine van der Merwe

Ine-Mari Venter

Zanele Vimbela

Coach: Dorette Badenhorst

Linda Pearce: Aussie great Norma Plummer will be a coach mentor this time for Dorette Badenhorst, rather than the big cheese, meaning the biggest absentee will be champion defender and new mum Karla Pretorius. A huge out. Familiar faces for the fifth placegetters from 2018 include captain Bongiwe Msomi and fellow Super Netball alumni Lenize Potgieter, Phumza Maweni, Shadine van der Merwe and Ine-Marie Ventor.

South Africa captain Bongiwe Msomi (L). Picture: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Trinidad and Tobago

TBC

Uganda

TBC

Wales

TBC

Birmingham 2022 Groups

Group A: Australia (1), Jamaica (4), South Africa (5), Scotland (8), Wales (9), Barbados (12)

Group B: New Zealand (2), England (3), Malawi (6), Uganda (7), Trinidad and Tobago (10), Northern Ireland (11)

Australia’s draw (AEST)

vs Barbados, July 29, 10.30pm

vs Scotland, July 30, 9pm

vs South Africa, August 1, 9pm

vs Wales, August 2, 9pm

vs Jamaica, August 4, 9pm

Semi-finals: August 6, 6pm and 11.30pm

Bronze medal match: August 7, 10.30pm

Final: August 8, 5.30am

Linda PearceStaff writer

A finalist in the 2021 Harry Gordon Australian Sports Journalist of the Year Award, Linda Pearce is a Melbourne-based sportswriter with more than three decades experience across newspapers, magazines and digital media, including 23 years at The Age. One of the first women in Australia to cover VFL/AFL and cricket, she has won media awards across a range of sports - including internationally, as the recipient of the ATP's 2015 Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award. A tennis specialist who has reported from over 50 major tournaments, including 13 Wimbledons, Linda has also covered two Olympic and two Commonwealth Games, plus multiple world championships in gymnastics and aquatics and five Netball World Cups.

@LindaCPearce

Linda Pearce