England head coach Jess Thirlby believes the Vitality Roses’ mindset has shifted when facing the best teams in the world and they are now in a “different space”.
England are touring Australia and New Zealand this month and next month, with three matches against world No 1 side Australia – the first on Thursday – followed by three against world No 2 side New Zealand, live on Sky Sports.
The matches will give Thirlby a read of just how much her side has evolved as she blends fresh faces with eight experienced players, keeping one eye on the World Cup in 2027.
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England booked their spot in the Netball World Cup final with a victory over New Zealand in the semi-final
Thirlby’s side pulled off a shock at the Netball World Cup 2023 when they defeated New Zealand 46-40 to clinch a spot in the final.
England were then valiant in defeat as they fell 61-45 to Australia and the experience, plus big results on the international stage since, have changed the expectations the Roses now have for themselves.
“Always [big expectations]. I would hope that that never falters,” said Thirlby on Sky Sports’ Off the Court podcast.
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Australia beat England in the Netball World Cup final in South Africa
“It doesn’t matter what stage we are in as we build towards the long term which is that 2027 World Cup on Australian soil.
“I think the expectations we have of ourselves and the girls have of themselves now, we are in a different space. The mindset has shifted quite a bit in the last few years so more of that.
“I think our expectations and ambitions have to stay really high if we are to close that gap over the next couple of years.
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A look back at the story of the Netball World Cup semi-finals as England and Australia progressed to the final
“So, big expectations of ourselves but we are under no illusion as to this big tour, we are playing the world No 1 and No 2 quite quickly.
“Just bring it on, really. It is what we have got used to in terms of we don’t do things easy, we are not afraid of coming over here early in our cycle.
“You can never guarantee when you are going to get these opportunities to play the world No 1 and 2, so the earlier the better for us.
“We have got an evolving and exciting team. There is a lot of new and fresh talent and emerging talent that is coming through so it is for us to unlock those different combinations to stress test and no better place to stress test it.”
‘We are turning the tide’
Thirlby believes there is a lot of evidence that England now approach playing Australia in a different manner than they did in the past, none more so than how the more inexperienced girls talk about the challenge ahead compared to the older girls.
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After defeat in the Netball World Cup final against Australia, the England players collect their silver medals in South Africa
“I think the evolution of the team, in the end, we took a very experienced team to the World Cup,” she added.
“Them as a collective, as a group, we had a lot of old, experienced heads in that group that had journeyed across four years.
“It took that long to get to a place where we were at least capable of pushing ourselves to get into that final and giving it our best shot.
“These things don’t happen overnight.
“I wouldn’t want to be in this job trying to galvanise a Roses team to do things that others haven’t done often or at all if you are not prepared to sit in those spaces where it is like a one-goal loss or one-goal win, draw, a blowout.
“That is all part of the journey and it builds character which this team has got in abundance.
“They are not backing off of that challenge, they are really leaning into that, and their commitment is in full flow with how capable they think they are.
“The older ones in the group talk all the time about how the newer girls in the group are speaking differently.
“It has shifted and they can remember what it was like five, six, seven, 10 years ago but they are working with girls who have only been in here for some their debut season and they are straight out here to play Australia.
“It is nice that the language and the narrative has changed and we are starting to turn the tide.”
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England squad in full
Imogen Allison, Eleanor Cardwell (AUS series only), Amy Carter, Beth Cobden, Funmi Fadoju, Alice Harvey, Helen Housby, Hannah Joseph, Nat Metcalf, Berri Neil, Lois Pearson, Razia Quashie, Ellie Rattu, Liv Tchine, Francesca Williams
England fixtures in full – all games live on Sky Sports
- Thursday September 19, 10am – Australia vs England at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
- Sunday September 22, 7am – Australia vs England at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
- Wednesday September 25, 10am – Australia vs England at Bendigo Stadium, Bendigo
- Sunday September 29, 7.35am – New Zealand vs England at The Trusts Arena, Auckland
- Wednesday October 2, 7.35am – New Zealand vs England at Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua
- Sunday October 6, 7.35am – New Zealand vs England at ILT Stadium Southland, Invercargill
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