Commonwealth Games play gives ‘Calypso Girls’ confidence
Published:Wednesday | October 12, 2022 | 12:10 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
FOUR YEARS ago, Trinidad and Tobago’s Shaquanda Greene-Noel made her debut at the Netball World Cup.
As the Americas Netball World Cup qualifiers approach, Greene-Noel is not only a seasoned veteran but captain of the ‘Calypso Girls’, who will be vying for a spot at the 2023 showpiece in Cape Town, South Africa.
“It has been stressful and exciting, with a lot of hurdles in the road. But I think it just speaks to my discipline and perseverance, because it wasn’t a bed of roses, and it was something that I had to work extremely hard for, as it was not given. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to lead the Calypso Girls,” said Greene-Noel ahead of the October 16 start.
Trinidad and Tobago, who will enter the qualifiers as one of the favourites, are the number 11 team in the world, the highest ranked team outside of hosts Jamaica, who’ve already qualified based on their world rankings (third).
Despite the advantage on paper, Greene-Noel believes the team has to take every game seriously.
“I think that we always have a target at our head. Throughout the years, every team wants a shot at being invited to the World Cup so we know that coming into the games we are favourites on paper, but we also need to stay focused and put in the work if we are to take one of those spots,” Greene-Noel added.
Despite the absence of usual suspects in Samantha Wallace and Kalifa Mccollin, Greene-Noel believes the team is well balanced with a perfect blend of youth and experience.
EXPERIENCE PLAYERS
“We still have two of our more experience players in Afesha Noel and Joelisa Cooper, who have been with us for quite some time. We also have some players who made their debut in the last qualifiers, which include me. So, it’s just about four years’ experience under our belt, but I think the maturity level in the group is very high,” Trinidad and Tobago’s captain stated.
The Calypso Girls finished 11th at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, and Greene-Noel believes that experience will play no small part on their performances here at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.
“We have retained the core of the players from the last Commonwealth Games, so we have been working assiduously towards our goal. Coming back from the Games (Commonwealth) there’s now expectations to do better,” Greene-Noel said.