Last year’s silver medallists NWU-Pukke are building a strong team ahead of the upcoming Varsity Netball tournament.
Pukke coach Dorette Badenhorst said it’s time for her players to stand up and be counted.
Badenhorst missed out on a title with the Dr. Kenneth Kaunda team at the Spar National Championships in Cape Town recently after having won all her group matches, upsetting two big teams in the process.
Although she admits that the tournament will not be a walk in the park, she is determined to have her team make a mark for themselves in the tournament.
“We have a strong team and with the age limit of 25 will see a lot of senior players out and other like Vanes-Mari (du Toit) will play for the last time. That will definitely benefit us, it will make difference. It is all about experience but I will also be losing Elsunet (du Plessis), our best player and captain of the team,” said the Baby Proteas coach.
Badenhorst however urged her players to put on their A-game in the tournament.
“Out of all the tournaments we have played, we won the big games. My players must know they are not young any more. They have been playing for the second and third year. They must start believing in themselves, they may be young for senior championships but we are playing at Varsity Netball level where we must stand up now. I think we have got players to do that,” Badenhorst added.
She added that their biggest challengers would be the University of Pretoria (Tuks) and Burta de Kock’s team, the University of Free State (Kovsies) who they lost last year’s final to.
“Kovsies is a strong team and they have youngsters. It will be a fight between Tukkies, Kovsies and Pukke,” she said.
By Busisiwe Mokwena – Sports reporter for Daily Sun & Sunday Sun
