Commonwealth Games 2026 LIVE: She’s the voice that inspires the Diamonds, but she can’t stand hearing herself speak

There are few athletes that command a huddle like Kate Moloney.With fire in her eyes and voice loud, Moloney has for years taken the lead in the seconds before her Melbourne Vixens or Australian Diamonds hit the court in big moments.Vixen Kate Moloney shows her passion.Getty ImagesTV directors quickly picked up on Moloney’s knack for revving up her teams and as such there are several famous videos such as her “throw everything you have” speech before the final minutes of last year’s Super Netball grand final win.When the Diamonds reach the toughest moments in their quest for gold in Glasgow, you can bet Moloney will be urging her side on.“I’ve always played off a lot of passion – what I love about netball is that it is a team sport and I get to go out and play with the girls around me,” Moloney said.“I’m extremely competitive and I guess those sorts of things are how I’m feeling in the moment. There is not much else to it and no planning towards it.”In many sports, the captain would be the person leading such huddles but when it comes to the Diamonds, skipper Liz Watson is happy to let her long-time teammate and vice-captain Moloney fire away.“There is full trust within the relationship,” Moloney said.“We back each other to the end and I think that’s what makes it work.”Watson is the poise and living, breathing standard for the Diamonds; Moloney is the voice and the passion. The combination of their leadership styles works.“They are two very different leaders in the best way,” Diamonds mid-courter Jamie Lee Price said.“Liz definitely leads by her actions. She doesn’t chat too much but says things when she feels like she has to.“Then she just goes on court and does it and everyone just wants to follow her because she’s so inspiring and has that never-give-up mentality – when she does speak, everyone is like “OK, let’s go”.Diamonds captain Liz Watson and vice-captain Kate Moloney have different leaderships styles but full trust in each other.Ruby Alexander“Kate is one of those players, she has so much passion in her voice. I feel like I can hear her from anywhere and it creates a lot of energy.“I feel like she narrates the game and that allows us all to feed off that energy.”Watson and Moloney have been playing together since they were teenage stars at City West Falcons in the Victorian Netball League.They graduated into the Vixens roster and then the starting side playing together in Super Netball titles in 2014 and 2020 until Watson crossed to Sunshine Coast Falcons for the 2024 season.Watson’s leadership style is based on example and using her voice when it’s most needed.“It’s probably close to 15 years together and we were in a few state teams as well,” Watson said.“I try to lead by actions and let them speak louder than words.Kate Moloney and Liz Watson have been playing together for years. The pair were all smiles after the Vixens won the 2020 grand final.Getty Images“Because I don’t say it a lot, it probably has a better impact when I do but this group is awesome, there is not a lot of rev-ups or yelling. It’s more a reminder of what we are good at and what we need to stick to.”Watson added she took on the way previous leaders like Caitlin Bassett and Laura Geitz had fostered a culture where hard work on the court was combined with fun and camaraderie off it.“The biggest thing I want to do is create the environment where it is fun and we work hard because it is the memories and the moments that you remember,” Watson said.While teammates and fans alike love to hear Moloney’s final words, the player herself often has no ideas what she has said and cannot stand to hear it back should she come across a video of herself post game.“If I ever saw one coming up, I would turn it off straight away, I hate hearing myself speak,” Moloney said.“It makes me cringe a little bit, usually I can’t remember what I said, so I like to keep it that way.”