Australia’s winning pedigree shone in the Quad series ’late final victory over England

While both teams shuffled their packs before and during Tuesday’s warm-up, there was no kidding here, with three substitutions for this affair, the winner takes over everything.

As she was forced to recover from eight and six goals behind in her last two games, Thirlby insisted that pride in her team’s perseverance was outweighed by a desire to stop chasing games. Her mixed emotions after the match stemmed from the fact that the team had fulfilled that wish for so long, but in the end succumbed to a severe defeat. Maybe they manage to be hunters and not hunters.

“Maybe,” she replied when she was introduced to this theory. “I felt like we held up very well for 45 minutes; they kept coming back towards us and we responded accordingly.

“We have to be good at both. We need to find a way to lead safely, and then we can be in that position and know what we are doing. I think we’re on a journey. “

Where Tuesday’s match was notable for its failure, this game was remarkable for the exemplary level of skills presented by both teams. Every interception was professionally acquired and not unwisely donated, and the shooting success for both sides was there with the best.

As England had already taken a two-goal lead after the first quarter, they maintained it at half-time and Australia were forced to make more defensive changes to stop the unstoppable Eleanor Cardwell. Until the last quarter, when everything fell apart so dramatically, it had little effect.

Thirlby despaired of stopping the slip, making three quick substitutions in nine minutes to the end, but to no avail as the Australians resisted.

If England retain the Commonwealth title in Birmingham this summer, that defeat will be long forgotten. But that’s a little consolation here and now.