Plummer pushing for spot at Netball World Cup
Published:Monday | October 24, 2022 | 12:07 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
The intensity that Jamaican netballer Crystal Plummer shows on the court is only matched by the demands that she puts on herself to perform at her best. But it is that drive that has national head coach Connie Francis encouraged and optimistic about her chances of getting on the final roster for next summer’s Netball World Cup.
The Sunshine Girls wrapped up their Netball World Cup regional qualifying campaign with Francis’s youthful team getting the experience necessary to strengthen their own abilities and with next year’s tournament in mind.
Plummer has been one of the standouts for Francis at wing defence, and while at times she has placed intense demands on herself in training, she has managed to make her mark on the team in a position that Francis sees she can play at next year’s tournament, which was evident in last Tuesday’s lopsided victory against the Cayman Islands.
“She is keen to learn and that is what I admire about her. I think that at times she is hard on herself, but I didn’t like how she started that first quarter. I thought that she started a bit sluggish, but she got her rhythm, and she ignited the fire, and she was able to get some good balls, tips, interceptions, and things like that,” Francis said.
Plummer will get the chance to show more of her talents on the international stage as she is among the players selected for the Fast Five Netball series in New Zealand next month with opportunities for her and the other young players to prove that they belong on that World Cup roster.
Francis is optimistic about her long-term as well as immediate future, believing that those who have made great leaps regardless of age or rank should be in that final World Cup roster.
“Plummer is a young player with great potential. The future looks very bright for her. I’m encouraging her and pushing her to make the final cut because I know that the selectors are looking in, and I think that it is really good to reward players who are doing their job,” Francis said.