Sunshine Girls will be a threat – Francis

Head coach of Jamaica’s senior netball team Connie Francis, said the Sunshine Girls will be a major threat to all teams when they contest thenVitality Netball Nations Cup in England from January 19-26, 2020.

The four-nation tournament, which will be the first outing for the Sunshine Girls following their disappointing fifth-place finish at the Netball World Cup (NWC) last July, also includes the hosts, world champions New Zealand and South Africa.

“I can tell you that we will be a force to be reckoned with because the world will be saying that Jamaica is on the right track,” said Francis.

“I want to remain positive and the girls are upbeat and so I think that we are on the right track, especially with the fact that we have a great crop of young players,” she said.

The 12 member Sunshine Girls squad includes seven players who competed at the NWC along with five newcomers.

“I think that the seniors are guiding the younger players and I can see improved performances in all the players, especially the ones who are playing out of their regular positions. I think that we need to make some changes on court to help to our team and to see how they have adjusted to it,” Francis pointed out.

“I think the future is looking bright for us based on the energy that comes out of our training sessions and the adjustments that all these players are making and they are all positive about doing extremely well,” she said.

The veteran coach underlines that despite the limited number of international practice games going into the series, the Sunshine Girls have worked well in training and they are determined to do well.

“Based on their last performance at the World Championships, I want to see an improvement in all areas,” said Francis. “I want to see improvement in our shooting as a team, in our defending as a team and in our mid-court and if that comes with a few wins in this series, then that will be a plus for us,” she said.

“I think the series is here for a reason and based on the shape that they are in, I think that they are ready to compete,” Francis noted. “I think that win, lose or draw, I think at the end of this series, we will be very proud because of our work ethic.”

R.B.