The challenge for top TNL honours begins

The countdown to the 2023 Telkom Netball League (TNL) is coming to an end. Freedom Day marks the first day of the season which will run until 1 July. This season of the competition comes in a critical year as the country will host the Vitality Netball World Cup for the first time, the first one to be held on African soil since it was first established in 1963.

The TNL will serve as a great platform for the locally-based players who will represent South Africa at the World Cup in Cape Town for the much-needed court time, but also fans will get to witness what to expect from the global spectacle. An entertaining TNL will likely draw new fans to the sport which will later be critical when potential sponsors look to invest in netball in the future.

Limpopo will have its first taste of the TNL when Seshego’s Ngoako Ramahlodi Sports Complex host the first power week of the competition from 27 April to 1 May. The Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria will host the rest of the tournament starting from 2 June, with the finals set for 1 July.

The league has had three winners since it was established in 2014, the Free State Crinums were the first to win it and did so back-to-back for three victories (2014-2016). The Gauteng Jaguars are the only side to have won it more times, with five titles.

They first beat the North West Flames in the 2017 final to win it for the first time and had done so continuously until 2021 before they lost the final last year. The Gauteng Golden Fireballs will be hoping to defend their title successfully after winning it for the first time in 2022.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

This year’s tournament comes with a lot of expectations too, especially on the Fireballs. They will have a lot of pressure in making sure that they have a great season and more importantly, defend their title. The team has had major changes this season, 50 per cent of the players who were part of the squad in 2022 are not in the final team.

This includes Monique Reyneke-Meyer, who now competes in the United Kingdom’s Netball Super League in the colours of Saracens Mavericks. Explosive midcourt player Tarle Mathe, who is not yet back from an injury she suffered last year, is also not in the team this season. This sees the return of Tshina Mdau, who crosses the floor from the north side of Gauteng.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars have kept the bulk of their squad from last season. Nokwanda Khumalo, Phophi Nematangari, Sinethemba Maseko and Lerato Dumbu are the new players for this campaign. This gives the Rozzane Matthyse-led team a bit of an upper hand compared to their counterparts.

Midcourt player, Izette Griesel says although the team lost the final, they are glad it happened as they needed the wake-up call.

“It was a new year with a new coach and new team so it was a good year still, making the finals while we were getting to know each other. I think this year we are ready to take the cup again, we are really working hard. We know what went wrong and what we need to work on. We are aiming for that gold medal,” says Griesel.

ALOES TO MAKE A STATEMENT

Following their stellar season last year, the Eastern Cape Aloes will be looking to make a statement in the elite section of the competition. The Sameshia Esau-led team beat the KwaZulu Natal Kingdom Stars to earn a promotion to Division One for this campaign. The experienced Jeanie Steyn will lead the team on the court to challenge for top honours.

Division Two will also be exciting this season. The addition of the new teams brings competition to the other teams but also means more players are getting an opportunity to play in the top flight of the sport in the country. The Free State Sonoblomo and the Limpopo Lilies are an important addition to the competition as the country looks to turn the sport professional in the future.

The Netball SA president is pleased with the growth of the league.

“The addition of two more teams to the league can only mean one thing, and that is we are doing something right when it comes to growing the sport and making our domestic league more competitive,” says Molokwane.

The Western Cape Tornados, who had been the bridesmaids to the Aloes for a few years, have a chance to fight for the top spot in the section. They have had podium finishes since they were introduced in the league in 2020. However, the rise of the Mpumalanga Sunbirds might be a thorn in their quest to dominate the league. The Sunbirds earned their first medal in the competition after losing to the Aloes in the Division final last year. They will likely continue from where they left off last year and fight for the gold medal.