Ready for the World
Published:Friday | July 14, 2023 | 12:08 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Having received the best wishes of the nation on Tuesday, national senior netball head coach Connie Francis has declared the team ready to break the 16-year drought of a medal at the Netball World Cup in two weeks’ time.
The local contingent leaves the island today for South Africa to begin the final phases of their preparations before the tournament begins on July 28. The contingent from the recently concluded Suncorp Netball League in Australia will join them in South Africa.
The local base was feted on Tuesday night at their send-off party, and Francis believes that their preparations, with the addition of those who have joined the team earlier from their Australia seasons, have put them in good stead.
“I can see that we are ready. They are looking very confident. When we had more senior players who were left back here, the training in the World Cup build-up has been really good. It is about getting that synergy, and I think that they look like they have never lost it,” Francis told The Gleaner. “The good thing about this team is that they have been together for a very long time. There are only a few newbies, and it has been easy for them to gel with the senior players. What I love is that they have shown growth and the determination to do well and gel well together.”
Five players from the World Cup squad were in the recently concluded Central American and Caribbean(CAC) Games squad, which won gold in El Salvador. Since the Commonwealth Games silver-medal success last August, it has been a whirlwind year for Francis after taking a break to recharge. For her, she is finding it much easier knowing how good the team is and can be.
“The Commonwealth Games was very stressful ... it is much easier now when you know the capabilities of the team. But I can tell you that it is never easy for me as a coach. I’m always thinking about what I might be missing out on,” Francis said.
Taking the lessons from the 2019 campaign, Francis says that this version of the Sunshine Girls has evolved and they are determined to get the medal they crave.
“We have the depth in the squad, and we have learnt. These girls have learnt, and they are eager to show the world that it won’t be an easy World Cup because we are coming home with one of the medals,” Francis said. “Right now it is about taking on every game as if it is our last to ensure that when we come home this tim,e we have something hanging around our necks, and that is a medal.”
The girls will have a training camp in South Africa, which includes a practice game to finish up their preparations and will open against Sri Lanka on July 28.