Australian Diamonds captain to be rested for third Test
NETBALL: Australian Diamonds captain Laura Geitz and defender Gabi Simpson will make way for two new teammates for the final two Tests of the Constellation Cup.
Geitz capped off a stellar season on Thursday with the 58-48 victory against the New Zealand Silver Ferns.
Geitz captained the Diamonds to a Netball World Cup title on home soil in August and took the Queensland Firebirds to a second ANZ Championship premiership this year.
Simpson made her international debut in the 50-44 win over the Silver Ferns in the opening Test on Tuesday night in Christchurch.The 23-year-old praised Geitz for her role in leading the Diamonds to the 2-0 lead in the Constellation Cup.
""I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Laura for the unwavering passion and dedication she brings to her leadership of the Diamonds and her role in guiding Australia to the Netball World Cup gold medal in Sydney," she said.
Midcourter Ashleigh Brazil and Jo Weston will replace Geitz and Simpson in the Diamonds team.
Brazil plays for the West Coast Fever and will make her long-awaited international debut three years after injury forced the 25-year-old to withdraw from the Diamonds team ahead of the 2012 test series.
The Constellation Cup continues on Sunday when the Australian Diamonds host New Zealand Silver Ferns at Hisense Arena before the series concludes with the fourth Test at Perth Arena on Friday.
