Golden day for Bendigo netballers

Thwaites and Bulley didn’t see any court time in Sunday’s final, but they were integral members of the Australian squad in the tournament.

The victory capped a golden 12 months for Thwaites, who last year won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

Thwaites showed her class in Friday night’s win over Wales when she scored an international career-high 43 goals in just three quarters.

For Bulley, the World Cup win was her first major title with the Diamonds.

Despite being a regular member of the Diamonds for the past 10 seasons, the veteran defender missed out on the previous two World Cup squads and last year’s Commonwealth Games.

On Sunday they cheered on from the sidelines as the Diamonds won in front of a world record crowd of 16,752.

Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander said the extra focus of playing at home had put her side under enormous pressure.

"At a World Cup that was enormously difficult, at home actually is harder," she said.

"I have never wanted to say that before this time, but if I'm completely honest with you, it was much more difficult than Comm Games.

"The spotlight is on us, the expectations were on us. And that was a great challenge to overcome.

"I just applaud the players and the way the staff and our team behind the team handled all of that pressure, particularly after the loss last week to New Zealand."

The Diamonds led by as many as 12 goals in the second term before holding off a determined fightback from the Kiwis.

Skipper Laura Geitz lauded her team-mates.

"It hasn't just been the last 10 days of netball, it's been the work that's been put in by every single player in this team, every single coach and the people behind the scenes for a very long time,’’ Geitz said.

"That moment when the final whistle blows, you're overcome with emotion of the sacrifices, the things you've put yourself through.

"Each and every one has had different challenges at different times, and now we can all just enjoy the biggest reward together."