Sunshine Girls head to Fast5 series with ‘fearless’ squad, says coach

Jamaica's senior netball team coach, Nardia Hanson, has described the Sunshine Girls squad selected for the upcoming Fast5 Netball World Series in New Zealand as "fearless," despite the absence of several prominent players tied up with commitments in Australia.

The 10-member squad will compete without key figures, including goalkeeper Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, and defenders Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Latanya Wilson, who are currently playing in the Suncorp Super Netball League.

While the lack of experience may concern some, Hanson remains optimistic. “The fact that the girls are inexperienced, they are fearless. They are not expecting anything. They are just going to play netball,” she said during a media day at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Friday. “For them, it’s an opportunity, and once it’s your first time, you’re going to want to go out there and make a statement because, next time around, you’d want to be selected. The girls want this, and I’m expecting a good finish from them as long as we can keep them focused.”

The Fast5 Netball World Series, set for November 9-10 at Christchurch’s Wolfbrook Arena, will feature the top six teams from the World Netball Rankings.

The Sunshine Girls, ranked fourth, face a challenging first day with matches against second-ranked New Zealand, third-ranked England, and South Africa.

On the second day, Jamaica will take on two-time defending champions Australia, as well as Uganda. The top two teams after the group stage will advance to the final, while the next two will compete for third place.

Dalton Hinds, also part of the coaching staff, reported positive progress in the team's preparation. “Preparation is going well. They have tweaked some of the rules, so we are trying to adapt to those as we go along,” he said. “The ladies are fit, but they still need to get much fitter because the game is going to require that. I would say, in terms of the preparation, we are about 75% there, and all things being equal, by the time we leave here, we should be at maximum fitness, game-ready, and tournament-ready.”

This year's edition of the tournament will include several rule trials, including an extension of the Power Play period from 90 seconds to the last two minutes of each quarter. During this period, only two-point and three-point shots are doubled in value, while one-point shots remain unchanged. Additionally, new possession rules will prevent teams from passing the ball back into a third once it has progressed toward their scoring end.

Jamaica, still chasing their first Fast5 title, hopes to surpass their best finishes of second place in 2017 and 2018.

Jamaica's squad for the Fast5 Netball World Series: Amanda Pinkney, Cornelia Walters, Kestina Sturridge, Kimone Shaw, Paula-Ann Burton, Roxanna McLean, Shadine Bartley, Simone Gordon, Tiffaney Langley, and Zaudi Green.