There have been five major factors in contributing to the success of the Maties Netball team in the 2015 edition of the Varsity Netball competition.
1. Improved fitness
Under the guidance of Marius Fourie from the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport, the girls put in a massive pre-season. This has allowed them to keep the intensity up during all their games, which has been evident in the lack of serious injuries sustained throughout the season.
They played superbly at altitude, beating UJ 72-32 and UCT 82-21 in Pretoria. In their semi-final against UP-Tuks, they dug deep to defend their big lead until the final minute, enduring a massive onslaught from the Pretoria-based team. Goal shooters Nelandré Mostert and Charmaine Baard, with Melandi Pretorius joining later, averaged 81 percent, while Tuks could only muster 72 percent.
2. Experienced players
Co-captains Sune Claassens and Juline Rossouw are both three-year Varsity Netball veterans. Haike Brink and Melandi Pretorius have also been part of the Maties team since the 2013 edition and, unsurprisingly, all four have been named as the FNB Players of the Match this season.
There is an exciting core of players back from last year, with Charmaine Baard, Jo Prins and Sasha-Lee Petersen all having a great 2015 season. The freshmen squad have all stepped up and will be the backbone of the team going forward. Nelandré Mostert, Cari Swart, Somari Els, Saskia Stander and Stephanie Brandt have all shown that they can mix it up with the best in the country.
3. Learning to manage the powerplay
An Achilles heel of the Maties Netball team in previous seasons has been the inability to defend on the opposition powerplay and then capitalize on their own powerplay. After a shaky start against NMMU-Madibaz, the girls showed gradual improvement. The best performance of the powerplay was in the semi-final match against Tuks, where it was used to create an insurmountable buffer and then Maties matched Tuks goal-for-goal when Tuks tried to claw their way back.
4. Record-breaking performances
More victories than ever before (six), most goals in a season (470), fewest goals conceded in a season (294) and a first final make the 2015 season the best Maties have ever had. After a sixth-place finish in 2013 and being eliminated in the 2014 semifinals, they recorded their first victories over Pukke and UP-Tuks in 2015.
They won four games in a row, collected five bonus points and finished with 25 log points.
5. Superb coaching and support
Under the guidance of head coach Christine Markgraaff Behan, the team has grown since 2013. They are disciplined, execute well and play with a tempo that allows them to dictate games. Dr Sherylle Calder is also involved with the team and her impact was evident when co-captain Rossouw intercepted a number of passes against Pukke in the 46-39 victory.
The same happened against Tuks in the semi-final, with the whole Maties team being able to seemingly cover the entire court and read the opposition passes. The entire management team has played a vital role in ensuring Maties will have chance of a lifetime come Monday, October 19.
By Dorfling Terblanche
