Dr KK to face Tshwane in netball final
Exposing the lack of depth in the top-flight division, Dr KK completely outclassed most of their opponents during the week to date.
Netball is one of South Africa’s favourite sports and needs to be administered correctly for the benefit of all the players. Picture: Getty Images
Extending their unbeaten run at the tournament, the Dr Kenneth Kaunda (Dr KK) district team breezed into the final of the Spar National Netball Championships at the University of Johannesburg on Friday, setting up a clash against defending champions Tshwane in the battle for the title.
The Dr KK side, who had finished top of the A-section standings in the round robin stage, handed Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) a crushing 61-20 defeat in the semifinals.
Exposing the lack of depth in the top-flight division, Dr KK completely outclassed the Eastern Cape side, who had squeezed into the penultimate round on goal difference after settling in a three-way tie for fourth position in the round robin stage.
“It’s good to have built up some momentum going into the final, and I was happy to be able to give some players a rest,” said Dr KK coach Elsje Jordaan.
“We have been working towards this for two years and all the players played their part.”
Jordaan, however, admitted her North West outfit needed to sharpen up in some areas, despite sweeping aside the NMB team without any real trouble.
“I have been very happy with our defensive unit, but not so happy with our attack, which has been operating at about 80%,” she said.
“That said, I am not going to make any radical changes.”
Tshwane, meanwhile, regained their composure after stumbling earlier in the tournament, setting their sights on defending their crown in Saturday’s final.
Having fallen to Dr KK and Mangaung in the round robin stage, Tshwane hit back to secure a 53-48 win over Mangaung in their semifinal clash.
“It’s been a rollercoaster of a week, with two defeats, but we just took things ball by ball and quarter by quarter,” said Tshwane captain Tshina Mdau.
“We knew that Mangaung were very strong and we brought our best game to the match. So did Mangaung, but we were the better team on the day.
“I think we got into their heads.”
With both teams going in search of a title double, Tshwane and Dr KK were also set to contest the Under-21 final on Saturday.
Shifting venues for the last day of competition, the trophy battles were set to be hosted by Wits University.
For more sport your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
For more news your way
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
