Sunshine Girls settle Down Under

Head coach of the national senior netball team, Sasher-Gaye Henry, says the Sunshine Girls have settled in well since arriving in Australia and are intensifying preparations ahead of their three-match Test series against the hosts, which begins on Wednesday morning (Jamaica time).

The upcoming series is a signiicant one for the Jamaicans, as it marks the first time the Sunshine Girls will face the world’s number-one ranked Australians in a standalone series since 2011.

The opening Test will be played on February 5 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, before the series moves to Perth’s RAC Arena for the second match on February 8. The final encounter is scheduled for February 11 at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena.

Henry said the team has adjusted well to their new environment, with only minor challenges remaining as they adapt to the time difference.

“They have settled in nicely and the good thing about it, it is summer over here, and so it is just the sleeping time that the girls are adjusting. Some of them have yet to adjust to it, but hopefully they will get more familiar with the time zone soon,” said Henry.

The Sunshine Girls are coming off a 2-0 series defeat to England in December and will again be without several key players. Captain Jhaniele Fowler is unavailable after recently announcing her pregnancy, while Shamera Sterling is continuing her recovery following the birth of her child. Defender Jodi-Ann Ward is also sidelined as she recuperates from surgery.

However, Henry welcomed the return of Australia-based defenders Latanya Wilson and Kadie-Ann Dehaney, who she believes will strengthen the team as they take on the Australians.

New rotations

“We are looking forward to the first game. We are working on some new rotations; there are some first-timers that will be playing together again and, as you know, it is big part of our preparations because we don’t have enough time before the series starts, especially with the ladies who have joined the squad here in Australia,” she added. Henry noted that the series will provide an opportunity to assess new combinations, particularly in defence and attack.

“We are looking forward to the matchup because it is going to be new. We have Latanya Wilson and Kadie-Ann Dehaney rejoining the squad, and so it is going to be a new defensive line-up for us for this series. We also want to see how our attackers will adjust, because we want to see something new and some improvements in this area of our play that we have been working on,” she said.

Henry acknowledged the challenge that awaits her team against the dominant Australians, but believes the experience will be invaluable as the Sunshine Girls continue preparing for this year’s Commonwealth Games.

“It is going to be a tough series, because the girls will be tested really hard by this Australian team because they are the number one country in terms of netball. Just looking around, you will see 10 different courts filled with players playing netball, and so it is good atmosphere here because they are really big in the sport out here,” she said.

“The girls that we will be playing against play at this level week in, week out and they are now in their preseason. We are really grateful for this opportunity,” Henry pointed out.