Upbeat Girls ready for Roses

Head coach of the national senior netball team, Sasher-Gaye Henry, says the Sunshine Girls are very upbeat and confident ahead of today’s opening match in the two-match Horizon Vitality Series in London, England.

The game will be played at the Copper Box Arena starting at 9 a.m. Jamaica time. The second match is scheduled for today at the same venue, also beginning at 9 a.m. Jamaica time.

The Sunshine Girls, who won last year’s four-match series 2-1 with the other game ending in a tie, will be hard-pressed to repeat that success this time around as they will be without several senior players who featured prominently in that victory.

Henry told The Gleaner that the Sunshine Girls have done well in their preparations for the series and therefore she is expecting some quality performances from the Jamaicans.

“The team is in high spirits and we are just keeping the focus on what we need to execute on Saturday and we are just looking to put things together and to see how best the girls will work,” she said. “They are anticipating a very tough game from their opponents but they are confident in themselves and know that they can deliver and so we are hoping that on Saturday that they will come out and just stick to the task.”

Work cut out for them

She noted that the Sunshine Girls who are ranked third in the world, one place above the English Roses, are going to have their work cut out for them because the series is going to be a very tough one.

“It is always a tough series playing against the England Roses because they are a very strong team and they are one of the best teams in the world so it is never easy for us to play them,” she said.

“However, we are very grateful for the opportunity to play against them because these games are part of our preparations heading into the Commonwealth Games next year and so we are really looking to see how we can get the girls in top shape and to see how well our inexperienced players can blend with our senior players,” Henry added.

The Sunshine Girls will be without captain Jhaniele Fowler, Shamera Sterling, Jodi-Ann Ward, Latanya Wilson, Shimona Nelson, Kadie-Ann Dehaney, and Romelda Aiken – all of whom play professionally in Australia and were unavailable for selection.

“You know that we have a lot of inexperienced players on our team for these games but it is a part of growth process going forward. This is type of atmosphere that we want them to play and so we are very grateful for this opportunity that they are given so we can see how well they can play at this level.”