Resigning 'horrible' but right decision - Thirlby

Former England netball head coach Jess Thirlby says it is "horrible" to miss out on leading her country in the Commonwealth Games but is content with her decision after resigning because of family reasons.

Thirlby stepped down in March just 130 days before the start of the Games which open on 23 July in Glasgow with England beginning their campaign against Northern Ireland two days later.

After coaching the side for six and a half years, Thirlby's resignation was greeted with shock by many having led England to a World Cup silver medal in 2023. She has since been replaced by Anna Stembridge.

"They are the best jobs in the world, being able to lead your country. In any sport, and likewise outside of sport, I guess to other people it comes as a great shock because these decisions are not easy to take," she told BBC Total Sport.

"Still navigating not being with the team is an interesting period in lots of ways. [I'm] quite sad but overwhelmingly just proud to have been able to do that job, both play and coach my country, and be the longest serving Roses coach.

"I appreciate to the outside world things can seem a bit confusing. You have to accept that not everybody is going to understand but it has to be the right decision for me and my family.

"Of course it's horrible missing out on leading your team through the Commonwealth Games but my job was much bigger than that.

"I needed to change the culture around how coaching was seen in the England set-up. We haven't really trusted our own homegrown coaches and I think there are a number that we can and should trust.

"We're very quick to change coaches - and it's about creating a foundation for further and elevated success."

England's 61-45 World Cup final defeat to Australia in 2023 signalled the end of a terrific campaign in South Africa under Thirlby, five years on from winning the Commonwealth Games Gold Medal match in dramatic circumstances against the Diamonds under the stewardship of her predecessor Tracey Neville.

The Roses have been placed in the same pool with Australia, who they take on in Glasgow on 26 July, along with South Africa, Malawi, Tonga and Northern Ireland.

Thirlby, who represented England as a player in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, believes the gap between England and Australia is shrinking.

She said: "The fact that our fans are expectant now for the team to be successful is a million miles away from when I represented England. It was damage limitation, 'how many are we going to lose by?'

"We just need to play Australia more. We need to get under their skin, and I actually think they don't want to play us as much any more.

"We've just started to turn the tide. It's the biggest compliment when it becomes really difficult to pin them down for a series because there's a risk to them.

"[If] they play number three or four in the world, and they lose, it's a problem for them. We did get up to number two in the world, and that's our highest ever ranking, so there's a lot of positivity amongst the noise.

"Without cliche, this is definitely for global netball the closest it's ever been. There are genuinely five teams that are capable of winning [The Commonwealth Games].

"How great is that? For so long there has been a monopoly between Australia and New Zealand. Tournaments were boring, you were just waiting for the last match of the tournament and you knew the two teams that would be in it.

"I think England are more than capable on their day of going out there with the hunger and the fight in their belly. We've got some outstanding, world-class players in our team.

"It is a difficult pool but it could be the best possible preparation for when we get in a semi-final because we will have had to already face Australia, we'll have already had to face South Africa who are on the rise.

"England are capable of beating South Africa. They have, and can, beat Australia and when they cross over to the semi-final it may be easier and better as a result of being in that pool to start with."