'Revamp netball' - Francis says JNA should return to previous tactics following WNC flop

 

Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

Former national senior team netball coach Connie Francis believes the entire programme should be revamped following the catastrophic showing by Jamaica's Sunshine Girls at the recently concluded World Netball Championships (WNC) in Singapore.

After targeting a historic gold medal, the team crashed to a humiliating 82-46 defeat against Australia in the competition's semi-finals, the highest score ever racked up by a team from Down Under against the girls.

The team was then walloped 70-49 by England in the bronze-medal game.

"For me, changes are good, but if it doesn't work you have to face up to your mistakes. You have to say it didn't work, admit it is worse off than what you had before," Francis told The Gleaner yesterday.

Five months prior to the start of the competition, the Jamaica Netball Association (JNA), as a means to improve on their bronze-medal best at the 2007 Championships, brought in former coach of the Australia Diamonds, Jill McIntosh, as technical director, for around $2.1 million.

McIntosh made several changes to the programme, including a stipulation which saw coaches and captain submit résumés for the position after a written, oral exam and an interview.

Former national player Oberon Pitterson was then selected as head coach of the unit, a position previously held by Francis.

"The entire thing needs to be revamped from top to bottom, we should look to improve on what we were doing in the first place," Francis said.

"When we beat Australia and New Zealand (Fastnet), we never had the fanfare, all this attention, or a whole group of trainers, it was just Connie, Annette and the girls and we were getting some results.

"They changed it, it didn't work out and the JNA needs to look at why it didn't work and bring back some pride to Jamaica's netball.

"I wish the JNA well. I wish those girls who will be staying on well, a few of them need to go because they have done their time."

Not impressed

Francis, like many, was less than impressed with the team's performance during the semi-finals and third-place play-off, which was at times littered with missed opportunities and sloppy passes.

"I wasn't sure what the tactical ideas were, I couldn't see that," Francis said.

The former Sunshine Girls captain and goal attack also disagreed with the team's tactical set-up, especially during the Australia game, which saw the questionable decision of using both Romelda Aiken and Jhaniele Fowler at the same time.

"Jhaniele was a good circle, but she won't come out of the circle, get the ball and pivot, she will pass the ball back in the direction she got it from. Romelda, she was wasted at goal shooter when sometimes she could have come out and helped clear the ball during the passage of play," said Francis, who also criticised the team captain, Nadine Bryan.

"The captain looked ordinary and could have been changed, the defensive unit was weak and our through court play just wasn't there. There were some sparks, but when it hit the semi-finals and the third place, when it counted, there were just lots of errors. It's sad to see that we made so many changes and it did not help us, we just got worse."

Francis, a top-notch shooter who played at five World Champion-ships, has had two stints as head coach of the national senior team, but insists that there will not be a third as she did not approve of how things were handled as it relates to her replacement.

"The coaching staff, including myself and Miss Daley, the assistant, were spectators when Jill came in. Only once were we called in for a warm-up," Francis said.

"We were given a game to coach like we were on trial.

"I felt slighted, I thought 'doesn't my record speak for itself?' But okay, that was okay, you just do what you have to do.

"I love netball, I fell in love. I wanted to be part of something to see our girls rise, but for me my stint has ended," said Francis.

"I will go back to what I was doing, and that is trying to develop netball in the Caribbean. I think they have shown more appreciation for my work."