After Gretel Bueta announced she was expecting her second child last week, the netball community were quick to congratulate her.
Bueta’s first child, affectionately known as ‘Baby Bobby’, has quickly become a bit of a cult figure in the sport, winning admirers left, right and centre for his cute mannerisms: waving to his Mum on the big screen from the stands and often making an appearance on her hip in post-match interviews.
The thought of another baby Bueta being on its way therefore had netball fans in a frenzy.
Beyond this, the announcement signalled a clear intention that Bueta won’t be compromising on her family life outside of sport, even if it means taking a break at the peak of her powers, knowing she’s already had one baby and been welcomed back to the top level before.
This is something we can all get behind, considering how many female athletes have spoken about having to make the heartbreaking decision between pursuing a career or having children in the past; making it difficult for them to fall pregnant, if they’re even able to conceive later down the track.
But in the days that followed the happy news, the conversation evolved beyond all of this initial excitement to: What will Bueta’s absence mean for the Australian netball team?
The Diamonds have had a successful year so far and Bueta was their best player throughout the 2022 Quad Series and Birmingham Commonwealth Games, lighting up the court with her unorthodox style of play and taking charge of the shooting circle when it mattered most.
So how would the team do without her? And would she be back for the 2023 Netball World Cup?
The latter is a question that can only be answered in time, depending on how Bueta’s pregnancy and recovery plays out, but the former was answered quite quickly in last night’s opening match of the Constellation Cup and the signs are not looking good.
The recent Commonwealth Games gold medallists were the clear favourites heading in, but they looked anything but that without the likes of Bueta and Ash Brazill on court (Brazill is preoccupied playing AFL Women’s). The side are also missing an injured Paige Hadley (calf) and a rested Jo Weston for the series.
By the end of the first quarter, the Aussies were already behind 20-9 and struggling to shut down the high and fast feeds flying into Grace Nweke (40/42) right under the post.
At one point, Nweke and returning goal-attack Ameliaranne Ekenasio (16/19) sank 11 goals straight.
Although momentum swung and the Diamonds took the upper hand in the middle two periods, they couldn’t keep Phoenix Karaka (five intercepts) and Kelly Jury (three deflections, three rebounds, four pick-ups) at bay.
There were glimpses of brilliance from debutant Amy Parmenter, who had fans welling up as the Australian wing defence shed happy tears during the national anthem, but she was swiftly taught a lesson about the standards required in international netball when given the task of marking Peta Toeava (31 feeds, 25 goal assists).
Despite the loss, Parmenter said nothing would wipe the smile off her face and after getting a full 60 minutes on court, you’d have to expect she will grow from her first experience as a Diamond.
But whether Australian head coach Stacey Marinkovich needed to intervene with a tactical or positional change in order to shut down Toeava is a question that will linger in the days ahead of the second match.
The timing of Marinkovich’s substitutions has been a constant talking point since she took the job, and although she has nailed this aspect in some matches – à la Australia’s Commonwealth Games gold-medal winning match – she has also been known to sometimes miss the mark.
The most glaring stats when you compare the two teams are New Zealand’s 16 possession gains to Australian’s six, showing the touring side’s ineffectiveness in defence. There is also the difference in accuracy, with the Silver Ferns’ two shooters finishing on a combined 91 per cent and the Diamonds’ four shooters finishing at 78 per cent.
With so much rotation inside that shooting circle, Marinkovich has shown almost all her cards to New Zealand coach Noeline Taurua in this regard, giving the well-known tactical mastermind an upper hand moving forward.
Most worryingly, in the final quarter, the Australians really fell apart up front, with a number of air balls and missed shots close to the post gifting easy possession to the opposition.
Sure, there are still three games to play, and the Diamonds only technically need to win two Tests and finish with a better for-and-against than their old foes to steal the cup back.
We also have to acknowledge Marinkovich’s desire to add some new faces to the squad in an effort to extend its depth, with a bigger picture in mind for the 2023 World Cup.
But the Constellation Cup series in years gone by has always been treated as a pretty serious grudge match, third in importance on the calendar only to the World Cup and Commonwealth Games.
In the last two trans-Tasman tournaments under Australia’s new head coach, it instead feels like it’s being treated as a chance to blood young talent and a training opportunity for new combinations, perhaps showing us Marinkovich’s new direction for the team and where her priorities lie.
If anything, Bueta’s absence has exposed the same issues that were prevalent during last year’s Constellation Cup – a lack of connection and intensity in attack.
During that series, again without Bueta, the team lost 3-1, handing over the trophy for the first time since 2012 and the second time ever.
So have the Diamonds relied on Gretel Bueta too much? Did her presence in the team this year mask some of the cracks that need to be addressed within the Australian camp? And what on earth is going to happen if she’s not ready to re-join the team for the World Cup in Cape Town next July?
These next few games will be a really important tell for where Australia is at and hopefully someone can step up to fill Bueta’s shoes.