Coach heaps praise on SA netball team
COACH Norma Plummer was “absolutely delighted” with the improvement in the Proteas’ performance even though they lost 68-43 to world netball champions Australian Diamonds in the opening match of the Quad Series in Auckland on Saturday.
Although the Australians gave a clinical display of their superior speed and experience in the first match of a blockbuster doubleheader, the South African side showed tenacity and skill which earned the biggest cheers from the crowd.
And the SPAR Proteas were happy to have reduced the difference between themselves and the world No 1 side by 10 goals since their last meeting at last year’s world championships.
“I am really quite delighted, from world champs till now, with the improvement I can see, and the commitment and the effort,” Plummer said.
“We want to be defined as a team that’s going to take it up to the top sides, and we’re only going to learn by actually being in this competition.
“So we have to learn about how much tougher and how much more contesting we have to do, and how much more consistency we have to have.”
Proteas vice-captain Karla Mostert was also heartened by the inroads the team had made since last playing the Australians.
“We are very happy with where we are going. The more we get this kind of exposure, the better we are going to get.
“We can only take it step for step, game for game and just get better every time,” she said.
Although Australia leapt out to a 7-2 lead early in the opening quarter, the Proteas struck back to score the next three with goal defence Mostert pouring the pressure on the Australian goal circle.
The Proteas continued to drive through court to shooters Lenize Potgieter and Lindie Lombard, but the Diamonds’ pace began to tell and the world champions led 19-10 at the first break.
With the scoreline 36-20 going into the third quarter, the Proteas returned to the court with a new intensity and managed to stay goal for goal with the Australians for much of the 15 minutes.
Although the Australians went up to a new gear for the final spell, building on their 50-30 lead, the Proteas never gave up.
Potgieter finished the game with an impressive 31 shots from 38 attempts.
The Proteas will now head to Hamilton to play the world’s second-ranked side, the Silver Ferns, on Wednesday.
The Silver Ferns beat the English Roses 65-39 in the other test in Auckland.