Coach Jeanie Steyn wants the Madibaz to embrace the new powerplay rule during this year’s Varsity Netball tournament, which starts in earnest this weekend.
The Gqeberha university side, which is a “good” blend of seasoned campaigners and first-timers, open their campaign against UP-Tuks in Stellenbosch on Sunday.
That game is followed by a highly-anticipated showdown against NWU the very next day.
According to Steyn, the fact that goals count double during the two-minute window, can be a game-changer.
“Varsity Netball is high intensity and the powerplay creates unpredictability,” she explained.
“You can be eight goals down with four minutes to go and still win if you use it well.”
She encourages her players to throw some caution to the wind instead of playing it safe “because only then can we reap the benefits”.
Steyn added that her philosophy had shifted towards focusing on the team’s strengths rather than building game plans to temper that of their opponents.
“I have realised that I should aim to sharpen our skills and build strategically.”
YOUTHFUL ENTHUSIASM TO ADD ENERGY
From a personnel perspective, the Madibaz can count on the services of both Hanniska van Vuuren and Juanita van Tonder who were invited to try out for the national squad recently.
The latter got the nod for the Proteas who will compete abroad against Australia and New Zealand, the world’s top-ranked sides, in back-to-back series in September and October.
“They are making their mark at the next level and I am very excited to see how their confidence will grow during this competition,” Steyn said.
“We also have five players from the Aloes and one from the Comets who played in the Telkom Netball League. They would have benefited from playing together in that high-level competition.”
Steyn added that their TNL experience created familiarity combination-wise, which gave the players more confidence on court.
“They know what each other’s strengths are and communicating on court comes naturally. That is the benefit of game time together.
“Nothing else can simulate that, especially in a competition like the TNL, and we should reap the benefits.”
Although nine of the 16-player squad are first-years, Steyn believes their youthful enthusiasm will add some energy. Four of them were part of the USSA set-up, so they know exactly what intensity to expect.
The coach described the team as a “good balance”.
Last month’s USSA tournament had been invaluable in planning for their Varsity Netball campaign.
“Those matches highlighted some key areas for improvement,” the Madibaz mentor said.
The team have also been working on their attacking systems to ensure that they play to their strengths.
Steyn expects a fierce clash with NWU, describing it as “almost a local derby” due to their frequent encounters.
The Potchefstroom team are regulars at the Madibaz Netball Tournament each March and the two sides also met at the USSAs this year.
“We’ve had tight matches with them all year, including a narrow four-point loss at the USSAs. We’re hungry for a win.”
She believes UP-Tuks could be vulnerable in their opener.
“They will be a different outfit from the USSAs as many of those players won’t feature in Varsity Netball. We’ll look to capitalise while they’re still finding their rhythm.”
Both matches start at 5pm.