All eyes are now on the two semi-finals on Monday. We are almost wrapping up another brilliant Varsity Netball season, which was not short of surprises and heartbreak. At this point, you’d be brave to pick the two teams that will qualify for the final because of how the road to the semi-finals has been.
Since last season, Maties have grown and improved in their game. Playing in front of their home supporters, even though they are not the home team, will help them fight to get to the final. They surely wouldn’t want to suffer the same fate they did when NWU-Pukke beat them with their supporters cheering for them at the beginning of the tournament? Senior players such as Charmaine Baard, Jo Prins and Sasha-Lee Petersen will need to lead the pack to glory. They should use the same spirit they had when they put a final nail in the Kovsies coffin when they beat them in the final group stage match.
With that said though, it won’t be that easy for the Stellenbosch side to walk over Pukke. Coach Dorette Badenhorst is fresh from absorbing knowledge from World Cup winning Norma Plummer at the recent Diamond League. Although the President’s 12 were never going to play in the final, they sure gave the Spar Proteas something to think about in their match. In the first quarter of the game, one would swear that the President’s 12 was the senior team.
Anyway, Badenhorst and her side want to defend their title successfully. They also want to dust off the defeat they were fed by the other finalists, NMMU.
While on the Madibaz, they are still on a high after that victory. They have been one of the impressive teams this season and finishing in the final would be frosting on their cake. Although they have several young players, they have done well to get back into the top four of the competition.
Tuks will be working hard to keep a 100% record this season. They will not allow NMMU to bully them in their home ground, losing the semi is not an option for them. How the younger players have gelled in the team and have been able to carry the team when their senior players were away on national duty, shows that they have depth in the team. This could be the year they win the title but they still have NMMU in their path.
I wish I could predict who will qualify for the finals, but like you, I will have to wait. Rembrandt hall, here I come. As always, stay onside
By Busisiwe Mokwena, Daily Sun and Sunday Sun Sports Reporter
