Coach: Trinidad and Tobago netballers not making up numbers at Youth World Cup

Trinidad and Tobago's under-21 netball team coach Kalifa McCollin says she expects a tough physical battle when her team contests the Netball Youth World Cup in Gibraltar from September 19-28. However, the veteran national netballer insists her charges will not be heading to the Youth World Cup to make up numbers as they target a top eight spot.

A 12-member team, along with the technical staff, were expected to leave the Piarco International Airport at 5.30 pm on September 12. The TT contingent is scheduled to land in Gibraltar on September 13, giving themselves a week of preparation before tipping off their pool D campaign against Fiji on September 20.

“I know the Fijians are quite physical. Hopefully, the girls can manage in that space. We would have been driving the point home that international netball is very different to what we have in the region. It’s a lot more physical,” McCollin said, during a September 11 interview with Newsday.

The other teams in pool D are Malawi, South Africa and TT’s Caribbean rivals Barbados, who finished second in the region’s qualifying tournament last year. TT finished third in the tourney to punch their ticket to Gibraltar.

“The girls would have been playing against men leading up to the tournament here, so that physicality will help them when they come up against teams like Fiji.”

The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the quarterfinals, which will commence on September 25. The semifinals will be played on September 26, with the final scheduled for September 28. The teams finishing outside of the top two in their respective pools will view for placed ninth to 20th. While McCollin said the South Africans are tipped to top pool D, she said her team will not be deterred on their quest to achieve greatness in their own right.

“(South Africa) are the ones earmarked to be at the top of the group. But it’s always good to upset the norm and the status quo. I can say that it’s going to be very competitive and will come down to who wants it more and which team makes the least mistakes,” she said.

“As I always tell the girls, ‘they’re not short on skill or talent.’ They’re very fit, quite fast and they’re strong. I think the difference between a win and a loss for us is being able to stick to the task for 60 minutes and staying focused on the game plan.

“I think that will make a massive difference, as well as maintaining grit when necessary. That’s what will take us across the finish line. We’re hoping to not just participate, but be as competitive as possible and hopefully come out of the pool in the top two or top three,” the coach said, with a keen eye on getting a boost in rankings.

After their opener against Fiji, TT will play Malawi on September 21, followed by matches against South Africa and the Bajans on September 22 and 23, respectively.

And though McCollin said the team’s rigorous training programme had been questioned in the build-up to the competition, she believes she and her staff have done what’s necessary to ensure the girls perform at their best in Gibraltar. Once they land in Gibraltar, the team, which will be captained by Maikea Bramble, will have a much lighter workload before beginning their campaign. McCollin said emphasis will be placed on perfecting set plays to ensure her players know their roles like the back of their hands.

“The girls are quite bonded. A lot of the time, we find teams that have great players, but they’re not necessarily a unit,” McCollin closed.

“Those girls are very closely knit and I think when it’s crunch time and it comes down to the long, hard nine yards, they will be there to back each other up and I think that goes a very long way.”

TT team:

Maikea Bramble (captain), Rickibah Isaac (vice-captain), Nichola Gill, Nekesha Gomes, Jenicia Goodridge, Jada Hamilton, Sophia Hernandez, Kerlene Johnson, Azalia Oliverie, Kalvinelle Roberts, Keiko Roy, Kayleea Songui.

Techncial Staff: Kalifa McCollin (coach), Crystal-Ann George, (assistant coach), Kyome Pascall Mortley (manager), Coreen Andrews (massage therapist), Joel Caresquero (physiotherapist), Roland Hamilton (physical trainer), Tamia Sobers (sport psychologist), Debbie-Ann Francois (Netball TT president).