A dozen Madibaz players have been drafted by Eastern Cape teams to play in the prestigious Telkom Netball League (TNL), which starts on Saturday.
The 12 players from Gqeberha’s Mandela University who will do duty for the Aloes in the first division and Comets in the second division include three alumnae.
The tournament is contested over three legs, with the first taking place in Sun City until May 4. The second and third legs are from June 13 to 17 and July 14 to 20, respectively.
Madibaz head coach Jeanie Steyn expressed her delight at the strong representation from her squad, lauding the effectiveness of their high-performance programme.
“I’m not sure if this is our biggest representation to date, but it definitely shows that our programme is successful in preparing players to earn this kind of recognition.”
Steyn, who did duty as assistant coach of the Comets last year, believes competing in the TNL is a great stepping stone for her players ahead of this year’s high-profile tertiary events.
“It allows them to experience the pressure of top-tier matches. What’s more, many of their opponents are the same players they’ll face at the USSAs and Varsity Netball.”
Steyn said training could not replicate real-match conditions and therefore having a large portion of her squad involved in the league was a huge benefit.
She acknowledged the challenges Eastern Cape players faced as a result of limited exposure to this level of competition and therefore her focus had been on adaptability.
“The first leg is always a tough adjustment but with eight high-level games in a short span, it’s a great learning curve,” she explained. “You tend to see exponential growth as the league progresses.”
According to her, the Aloes had the potential to finish in the top five, provided they could settle into effective combinations and build momentum early on.
With Madibaz alumna Noluthando Maliehe (captain) and current student Juanita van Tonder (vice) at the helm, and Sameshia Esau as coach, they will want to improve on their sixth-place finishes from the past two seasons.
The Comets, under the mentorship of Zandile Njeza, placed second in the B division in 2024 and will hope to be in the reckoning again.
“You always want to build on past performances, so they will definitely be targeting a top-three finish,” Steyn said. “However, there are several new faces in the squad and it does take time to gel.”
The B division is the ideal platform for players to prove themselves and push for promotion to the Aloes outfit.
“It’s a great chance for players to grow their game. With a strong season there’s the real possibility of moving up to the A division,” Steyn said.
For example, she explained, Anke Britz, Kelly du Toit and Princess Mjoji were all former Comets who had earnt promotion to the Aloes squad this season.
MADIBAZ PLAYERS DRAFTED:
ALOES: Jeannique Rossouw, Kaylin Coetzer, Juanita van Tonder (vice-captain), Hanniska van Vuuren, Kelly du Toit, Inganathi Sapepa, Anke Britz, alumna Noluthando Maliehe (captain) and alumna Mothira Mohammed; Comets: Bronwyn Goosen, Nicole Lister, plus alumna Carla Viviers (vice-captain).