With their evergreen captain Juline Rossouw back in the team, the Maties are ready to rock and roll when they face the NWU-Pukke in their Varsity Netball semi-final.
Rossouw recently earned her senior national colours when she represented the Spar Proteas in the Netball Diamond Challenge. The Proteas played against the President’s Twelve, Zimbabwe and Uganda in Durban and the selection will give Rossouw a massive boost in confidence. She is currently attending a practice camp for the Fast-5 team, where she is joined by teammate Charmaine Baard.
Considering she is in her fourth and final season of Varsity Netball, this means the will want to end her student campaign with a strong showing. She has played a massive role in Maties establishing themselves as one of the leading teams in the country and leaves behind an exceptional legacy.
Rossouw has also shown for a player to make it on the highest level, that both patience and perseverance are required. In 2013 she represented the Junior Proteas, the National Fast-5 team and also a South-African Invitational Team, but had to bide her time. She is an excellent example to all young players, using the combination of her studies and Varsity Netball to continue building a pathway to glory.
The book of Ecclesiastes, states that “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” and for Rossouw this rings true. She is marrying her fiancé Ryno van der Merwe on December 2 and will also graduate at the end of the year. 2017 is set to be an even bigger year for Rossouw and we are sure she will add many caps to her tally, while entering the world of fulltime employment.
She will, however, be firmly focused on the Pukke, who will want to make amends for losing to the Madibaz by 38-34. Pukke beat Maties in the first round of the competition but Maties are on a five-match winning streak. Maties have also scored 50 goals in each of these matches and should also have a capacity crowd at the Coetzenburg Indoor Centre on Monday 10 October. The match starts at 17:00 and will be televised live on SuperSport, but the best place to be is courtside!
Maties team to face Pukke: Juline Rossouw (captain); Jo Prins (vice-captain); Charmaine Baard; Cari Swart; Somari Els; Sasha-Lee Petersen; Nelandré Mostert; Saskia Stander; Stephanie Brandt; Annerine Snyman; Abeline Olivier; Carla Werth; Megan Gossman; Leanne Nigrini; Allison Malgas.
By Dorfling Terblanche
