Girls aiming for top spot, says Henry

NATIONAL SENIOR netball coach, Sasher-Gaye Henry, says the Sunshine Girls will be aiming for the top spot at next month’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

Henry and members of the Sunshine Girls squad left the island yesterday for a Quad Series international tournament in New Zealand, which forms part of their preparations for the games.

The March 21-24 series will involve hosts New Zealand, Malawi and Fiji.

Henry told The Sunday Gleaner that the Quad Series is very important in their quest to surpass the bronze medal, which they won at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

“The focus is on the Commonwealth Games, but it is very important that we do well in the Quad Series to see where we are in terms of our preparations,” said Henry.

“We are aiming to finish on the podium and we would love to finish a lot higher than we did four years ago, but it will come down to how well we execute and how well we finish off each game,” she said.

“We know that we have six teams competing that are very strong, and so we just have to remain focused and stick to the game plan, and once we are able to do this then the sky is the limit.”

The Sunshine Girls squad will be joined in New Zealand by overseas-based shooter Romelda Aiken, who will be making her return to the national team after a one-year absence, Jhaniele Fowler-Reid and Shimona Nelson. All three are professionals in Australia’s Super League.

Henry added that the girls have done a lot of hard work in their build-up for the Commonwealth Games, and so she is expecting a good showing from them in the tournament.

“We are prepared to compete at our best,” said Henry, who played on the Sunshine Girls’ bronze medal team four years ago.