Maddy Proud incident in second Test leaves netball fans gutted
Maddy Proud has been ruled out of the third netball Test against England after suffering concussion in a scary incident on Sunday night.
Australia clinched the three-match series with a 56-48 victory in game two in Sydney in front of 14,117 at Qudos Bank Arena.
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However the win was soured by an ugly incident in which Proud was concussed after a collision with teammate Kiera Austin.
Proud, who has a history of concussions, was going for a loose ball in the third quarter when her head collided with Austin and she immediately fell to the court.
Play had to be halted as Proud lay on the court in obvious trouble, with staff rushing on to assist her.
She was assisted from the court and eventually returned to the bench, but won't be available for game three on Thursday.
“She has got concussion, so a bit groggy at the moment,” Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich said after the match.
“So we’ll monitor her and she’ll be under our concussion protocols and work with our medical staff.
“It’s unfortunate and we’ll just make sure that she’s in good care.”
Fans were left gutted for Proud, who has suffered a number of serious injuries in her career and only recently made her debut for Australia.
Umpires have a *lot* to do. It was only 6 or 7 seconds, but it appeared obvious she needed umpire time from she hit the deck IMHO.
— Erin Delahunty (@della79) October 30, 2022
Oh no! @maddyproud came on and had such an impact, it was sad to see her injury and leaving the court. Rest up @maddyproud
— Catherine (@Catman8727CJ) October 30, 2022
Such a bummer, but glad they are taking it seriously @georgiadoyle258
— Georgia-Mae Topp (@jawjartopp) October 30, 2022
these are not the circumstances that I want to see Maddy Proud hitting the deck in 😭 #AUSvsENG
— Jemma (@jemmapaige27) October 30, 2022
Just when I was excited to see Maddy Proud on court 😲 #AUSvENG
— Lebogang (@BeautMess12) October 30, 2022
you don't like to see that, hope Maddy Proud is ok ❤️ #AusvEng
— emma🎃 (@artisems) October 30, 2022
Diamonds seal netball Test series against England
Victorious in January's Quad Series, the Commonwealth Games in August and the recent Constellation Cup, the Diamonds wrapped up the series against England before the final match in Brisbane.
"It's been a sensational year and I think the great thing about it is we've had our whole squad contribute to the success of what we've been able to achieve," Marinkovich said.
Marinkovich was really pleased with Australia's performance which gave them a fourth-straight win.
Even with stalwarts Liz Watson, Steph Wood and Ash Brazill missing Australia showed admirable depth.
"I think any selection for me at this point in time is difficult across all positions," Marinkovich said.
Wing defence Amy Parmenter was named player of the match after an industrious display, though Australia had strong players across all lines.
Australia won the mid-court battle and the mobility and accuracy of shooters Cara Koenen ( 29 of 31) and Kiera Austin (22 of 24) troubled the Roses.
Shooter and game one heroine Donnell Wallam was ruled out of Sunday's match with a stomach bug, but will travel to Brisbane.
England coach Jess Thirlby made numerous changes to her defence and midcourt but said ultimately they were worn down by the Diamonds.
"Tonight they were better for longer periods, they dismantled us a little bit in terms of how good they are on possession."Thirlby said.
"The Diamonds were very good today at disrupting our flow through the court."
with AAP
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