Forbes: Preparations for Commonwealth Games going well

With just over a month to go before the start of this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, first vice-president of Netball Jamaica Simone Forbes says the Sunshine Girls’ preparations are going well as they look to improve on the bronze medal they won at the tournament four years ago.

The Sunshine Girls, ranked fourth in the world, are scheduled to depart the island on July 21 for the July 28 to August 8 Games.

Forbes told The Gleaner that the coaches have now cut the squad to 16 players, including the seven players who are currently plying their trade in Australia. She also stated she is very confident that with the experience and depth that they currently have, they will finish in the top two at the Games.

“I think that we have one of the best teams across the board and so I am optimistic, and I think if the ladies go out there and do what I know that they can do, then I definitely see them making the final,” said Forbes.

“But then, it is up to them and on the day what the team does, but I am really looking for a very good performance from them at the Commonwealth Games because I am expecting them to medal,” she said.

“We have six ladies now playing in Australia and so it is just a matter of pulling it together as a Jamaican team,” Forbes said.

Captain Jhaniele Fowler, Shimona Nelson, Shamera Sterling, Latania Wilson, Jodi-Ann Ward, Kadie-Ann Dehaney are the Sunshine Girls players currently plying their trades in Australia.

Forbes, who is a former Sunshine Girls captain, emphasised that the association and the management team have been working assiduously to ensure that the team receives all the support that is needed before the start of the tournament.

“The training has been going well. They are concentrating now on strategies and tactical plays,” she said. “They all look good and I am just eager to see all the girls together, including the ones who are playing overseas in Australia, so the coach can work on other strategies that she needs to.

“Netball Jamaica and the management have been doing the behind-the-scenes work to make sure that these ladies only have to worry about on the court and nothing else. It is a challenge because we are not a rich organisation, but we are doing all that we can to give them the support that is required,” Forbes noted.