New TNL champions to be crowned on Saturday

The Telkom Netball League Division One semifinals provided pure entertainment fit for elite, high-performance netball in the country.

Both matches between the Free State Crinums and the Western Cape Stings and the Gauteng derby between the five-time champions, Gauteng Jaguars, and the Gauteng Golden Fireballs, were not short of top performances.

The Jaguars and the Crinums came out victorious and will face one another at the Heartfelt Arena on Saturday for top honours.

Crinums coach Martha Mosoahle-Samm said her players have been hungry to play in the Telkom Netball League final again. The three-time winners booked their place in the final for the first time since the 2020 edition which was played in a bio-bubble due to the Covid pandemic. They defeated a feisty Stings side in a tight contest with a 55-48 score.

The Crinums started the match slowly, trailing the Stings in the first half, however Mosoahle-Samm’s charges increased their efforts and took the lead in the second quarter with five minutes left to play. From then on, they took the game all the way.

Mosoahle-Samm said the experienced players came through for the team and were key in getting the team into the final.

“It was a very tough game, it was really hard. Big up to the Stings, they had a big one beating the (Gauteng Golden) Fireballs and we thought they would be tired but they gave us a run for our money. We are happy for the win, we wanted it more.

"The girls knew what was at stake. I’m so proud of the girls, especially the senior players. They knew what was expected of them, we were very hard on them. We made it clear that they need to carry the team. We have an 18-year old playing at centre, she was amazing but we knew that emotionally, she might not be able to carry the team.

"We expected the senior players to do that. I think Lefebre Rademan did that, Rolene (Streukter) and KC (Khanyisa Chawane) even with her injury. We had to put her on and off but she wanted it so badly that she played even when she was feeling a discomfort,” said Mosoahle-Samm.

Jaguars coach Rozanne Matthyse said she was thrilled to reach her second final as the head coach of the team after beating provincial rivals 53-50.

“I think people outside don’t understand our journey as a team and I think for everything to come together now in the semifinals, setting our standards as a team is priceless.

"I am proud of the girls for digging deep and finding that Jaguars spirit that I know they have. Just maintaining what we have done now and improving, there are a lot of things we need to improve on. Consistency and keeping ball possession, that is something that we don’t do well yet.

"We have one more game to make sure we do it well. It was a physical match, netball has become physical and I think it’s good for our country and our players to experience that,” said Matthyse.

Meanwhile, Limpopo Baobabs coach Emily Mathosa was happy that her side have continued to peak and now find themselves in the Division Two final. The Baobabs put up a relentless fight to dominate and defeat the Northern Cape Diamonds 56-41 in the first semifinal. They will face the Western Cape Tornados on Friday after they defeated last year’s silver medallists, the Mpumalanga Sunbirds, 46-37 in the second semifinal.

Mathosa was elated that she was able to lead the Limpopo side to their first final in the competition.

“I think it hasn’t been easy for us because of how the games started. But I am actually glad how the girls showed up throughout the tournament. They have actually stepped up from where I thought they would be.

"This is where we were looking to get to when we were preparing for the tournament. I think it’s the culture that I have instilled in the girls that I love winning and they were hungry enough to work that hard. I am glad that they stepped up and showed on court that they want it so bad.

"You can’t win the game if you don’t put in the work in the four lines, they had to step up and show that we are in control,” said Mathosa.

The assistant Baby Proteas coach reckoned that teamwork was crucial in taking the team to the final.

“The leadership in the team pushed them through, they carried each other. The unity among the players shows that we are one family, we are not playing as individuals. We need to do it for ourselves, we need to do it for the province and for our supporters. I believe they realised where the bigger picture was, which was the finals. I am glad it went our way,” she said.

Tornados goal shooter Liandre Schoeman said she hoped their third time in the final would result in a gold medal.

“We are feeling good after our win, we are going to go back to look at the errors from today’s (semi) game because it wasn’t perfect and we are going to rock up and give our best (in the final).

"We should minimise our errors and just enjoy the game because when the Tornados enjoy the game they win the game. For four years we have been playing in the competition, this is the second time in the final. It would mean the world for us to win it,” added Schoeman.