The UJ netball technical team is more than elated at the positive end they received after the Auckland Park side secured a strong 57- 43 win over VUT on Monday night. The victory secured them a seventh place finish and five points under their belt to end the 2017 tournament on a progressive slate.
UJ coach Leigh-Ann Smal was elated with her players’ performance ending the season on a confidence boosting high.
“I think that they’ve stepped up this season when we were in a slump, at times we dropped a bit but 80 percent of the time they really played the way they were supposed to play and what we’ve worked on. I just wish they would have played like that from the start.”
The retired Protea player said her charges struggled with many unexpected changes in the team.
“I think some of them coped very well, while some others didn’t do so well. It also was not easy due to the loss of our key players as they played a huge role and mentally, it was a blow as they had to move forward without them.”
Assistant coach David Maree states that they had an unfavourable spell but is glad the girls managed to gain some positives.
“It was a terrible tournament for us, filled with injuries and a number of our girls are concluding their final year so we are definitely going to have an interesting 2018 season. We will be building a new team, starting afresh and I do believe us winning our last game will be the perfect high to begin next season.”
By Liziwe Mbha
