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he Origin Australian Diamonds’ COVID-19 quarantine plans have been revealed ahead of the Constellation Cup test series in New Zealand from March 2 to March 7.

The four match series against the New Zealand Silver Ferns will see the Diamonds travel to Christchurch on Monday, February 15 to prepare for the series with 14 days of quarantine at a managed international quarantine facility in Christchurch.

During the 14 days of quarantine, athletes and team staff will remain in solo hotel quarantine, with the first five days requiring all athletes and staff to remain in their hotel rooms.

After the first five days, athletes will be able to access the hotel gym in small groups, before being allowed to leave hotel rooms only to train on court and in the gym from day seven.

Netball Australia confirmed it is still working closely with the Australian Government to process travel arrangements ahead of the series.

After the 2020 Constellation Cup was postponed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand are optimistic they will be able to hold two Constellation Cup tournaments this year, one in March and one in October.

Netball Australia executive general manager of performance, Stacey West, said: “We are very pleased to have confirmation that the Origin Diamonds will be making a return to international netball and thank Netball New Zealand and both the Australian and New Zealand Governments for their assistance in making this tour possible.”

“Our players, through Suncorp Super Netball in 2020, have learned to be agile and adaptable and this tour will be no different.

“We will look at innovative ways to prepare to take on our biggest rival in what has been a long-awaited encounter.

“We have a new-look squad and staffing panel and we’re confident this tour is going to be a great first stepping stone that will allow us to explore our capabilities and strengths as we move towards our pinnacle events in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Netball World Cup,” she said.

Origin Diamonds head coach, Stacey Marinkovich, said she is excited for her first international tour with the team.

“Whilst the environment surrounding this tournament is unique, our team are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that our squad will be as prepared as they possibly can be to take on the Silver Ferns coming out of two weeks quarantine,” Marinkovich said.

“I feel confident that we will embrace each challenge and experience as we look to learn, evolve and build towards our marquee events.”

“The Diamonds are absolute professionals in their approach and they’re now fully focused on preparing the body, mind, and team for the upcoming series.”

“In bringing the entire squad into a camp prior to our departure to New Zealand, we will bring our game plan to life on the court and build on our connections prior to the team having to move into quarantine, and the final week leading into the first match will let us really refine that approach and ensure we’re ready for game one,” she said.

Executive general manager of Origin Retail, Jon Briskin, said: “Like netball fans across the country, we are thrilled to see the return of the Constellation Cup and look forward to the latest instalment in this classic rivalry between Australia and New Zealand after such a challenging year.”

Constellation Cup matches will be broadcast live on 9Gem or Nine, along with the netball Live Official app, with the series set to count towards world rankings as it is recognised as an official International Netball Federation tournament.