Netballers must be hungry: S’pore Coach

SINGAPORE — As hosts and defending Asian champions, Singapore will be favourites for the gold medal in netball at this year’s South-east Asian (SEA) Games and will represent the continent at the World Cup in August, but national coach Ruth Aitken has thrown the gauntlet to the players to show they have the fire for it.

Yesterday, she announced a 21-strong provisional national squad for both meets after a high-tempo Netball Super League (NSL) final at the Toa Payoh Sports Hall that saw the Sneakers Stingrays, buoyed by their screaming army of supporters clad in purple, beat the Magic Marlins 45-37 to claim their maiden title and S$6,500 winner’s cheque.

The 21-strong squad will be whittled down to the final 12 for June’s SEA Games (the netball competition will take place from May 31 to June 7)and the Aug 9 to 16 World Cup, formerly known as the world championships, in Sydney.

The squad, which will travel to Fiji in April for a training tour, where they will face the hosts and Papua New Guinea, will also be boosted by the return of Olivia Flanagan, Cassandra Soh and Yu Meiling from injury.

“We are continuing with the same squad at this stage and are looking at a review later in the year or mid-year,” said Aitken, who won the world title with her native New Zealand as a player in 1979 and coach in 2003.

“We feel there’s a really good balance at this stage of both experience and the young ones coming through.

“I’m looking for versatility (in the final team). When you go into a competition for more than a week, you need to be able to cover a number of positions. I also want a ruthlessness of attitude, because the SEA Games is massively important for Singapore and the players must be absolutely hungry for success.”

That hunger was aplenty at yesterday’s NSL final, despite both teams having negotiated the semi-finals only 24 hours earlier. The Marlins edged Blaze Dolphins 47-43, while the Stingrays needed extra time to see off the Tiger Sharks 54-50.

In the final, the Stingrays led 27-18 at half-time, but the Marlins responded with their defence turning the pressure in the third quarter on the Stingrays’ shooting duo of Rachel Leong and Yasmin Ho, limiting the pair to only five points. Outscoring their opponents 10-5, the Marlins closed the gap to 28-32.

However, the Stingrays — who finished fifth, fourth and third in 2012, 2013 and last year, respectively — were not about to let another title shot slip away, scoring 13 points in the final period to clinch victory.

Goal attack Ho, who shot a match-high of 27 points, was named the Stingrays’ Most Valuable Player, while their veteran coach Goh Seck Tuck picked up the Coach Award for his team’s achievements this season.

“It was our determination that won it for us today,” said Stingrays captain Carmen Goh, after the team lost to the Marlins 45-31 in their opening match of the season last month.

“We went in strong right from the start, stayed patient, made safe passes, fought hard for loose balls. Our history (of rivalry) with the Marlins goes back a long way.”

Goal defender Parveen Nair, the sole Stingrays player selected for Aitken’s provisional national squad, is eyeing a berth in the final 12.

She said: “It’s going to be a challenge. Competing at the SEA Games at home means a lot to me as it will be the first international game for me in the (senior national) team.”

Final 2015 NSL standings:

1 — Sneakers Stingrays, 2 — Magic Marlins, 3 — Tiger Sharks, 4 — Blaze Dolphins, 5 — Mission Mannas, 6 — M1 Sunfish

Provisional Singapore national squad for the 2015 SEA Games and World Cup*: Micky Lin, Chen Huifen, Nurul Baizura, Premila Hirubalan, Charmaine Soh, Kimberly Lim, Ang Shiqi, Shelby Koh, Nur Aqilah, Chen Li Li, Anna Soo, Olivia Flanagan, Pamela Liew, Melissa Teo, Natalie Long, Kwok Shuyi, Jocelyn Ng, Parveen Nair, Toh Wan Ling, Cassandra Soh, Yu Meiling.

* Only 12 will be selected.