England's Serena Guthrie has taken a parting shot at an "over the top" physical approach by Australia after a tense and rough netball clash in Glasgow on Friday that was pinched by the Diamonds in a dramatic finale.
Despite not hitting the front until the final eight minutes of the match, Australia clawed its way back to win 49-48. The victory was clinched by goal shooter Caitlin Bassett with 15 seconds left on the clock.
The come-from-behind win keeps intact Australia's flawless record after two pool games, and it remains on track for a gold medal showdown with New Zealand. But England gave it an almighty scare after twice opening up a six-point margin in the gripping contest.
England had beaten Australia 3-0 in a series last year - its first series win over the Diamonds - and looked set to roll the world champion again.
The match was marked by its physicality, with players from both teams hitting the floor throughout, although none more so than England's crafty centre Guthrie, who was felled repeatedly in a showdown with Australian wing defence Sharni Layton.
Guthrie, who will be joining the Northern Mystics in the ANZ Championship, said the Diamonds resorted to physical contact to pull off the escape.
"I do think we deserved to win today, I don't think that Aussie team deserved to win," she said. "And I think a lot of people would agree with that. They had to put the body out in order to try and disconnect us.''
On Australia's physicality, she added: "It felt a bit over the top today, but you know that's the game. We'll see what else they can bring to the competition in terms of skill, because their physicality is certainly there."
The match, Australia's second of five in the preliminary stage in Glasgow, was an important one, with the winners of group B to play the second-placed team in group A in the semi-finals, and the runners-up to meet defending champion New Zealand, which is favourite to win its pool despite a modest performance against Malawi on Friday.
The Diamonds had trailed from the outset as the imposing figure of England's goal defence, Eboni Beckford-Chambers, patrolled the back court and the Corbin sisters, Sasha and Kadeen, and Guthrie made life difficult at the other end with their silky passing game.
Australian goal attack Natalie Medhurst, introduced as one of several changes at quarter-time, said players from both teams had been on the end of heavy contact.
"Myself and probably every other player hit the deck probably at least twice," she said. "It was extremely physical. We know that's particularly the type of style that they play. We were prepared for that and a couple of times we just weren't strong enough on the ball and we really needed to hold our space which, I think particularly in those dying minutes, when it counted, we were able to do that."
Medhurst said there was improvement to be made before Australia's next assignment against Barbados on Sunday.
"We weren't happy with how we started," she said. "That was really disappointing and that's something that we're certainly going to have to look at.
"But in the games between the top four countries you never know, it's always going to be close, particularly at these sorts of championships. Everyone puts everything out there. It's obviously extremely cut-throat."
