Which is Australia’s best national sporting side?
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It is a question rarely asked across the codes and one which may require a little more thought than normal.
The Wallabies woes continue on and off the field, the Kangaroos were left to lick their wounds after an upset loss to New Zealand last week and the Australian Test cricket side are desperate to bounce back after being thumped by Pakistan in Dubai.
Moreover, the Socceroos have dropped to their lowest world ranking of 94, the Boomers were accused of tanking at the World Cup and the All-Australians have lost the last two International Rules series by record margins to Ireland.
But the shining light at the moment would have to be the Diamonds.
The Australian netball team have been in sparkling form, completing a flawless calendar year for the first time since 2002 and extending their unbeaten streak to 19 Tests which included a Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow in August.
They still have a little way to go to eclipse the 26 straight victories recorded between 1994 and 1998, with an Australian squad which featured the likes of Vicki Wilson, but with their eyes set on a World Cup title defence next year in Sydney it could well be done.
And with Lisa Alexander at the helm, learning lessons from the All Blacks and changing the Diamonds culture “to coach the person rather than the player”, has also paid dividends since taking over in 2011.
So it is little wonder why the Diamonds would be one of, if not, the best national sporting side in Australia at the moment.
There would also be a fair argument mounted for the Kookaburras, the men’s hockey team who are two thirds of their way to completing a second successive golden sweep of a calendar year incorporating a World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Champions Trophy.
However, the Diamonds have also helped put women’s sport and Australian netball back on the map.