‘We’ll be back,’ says coach, as Ekurhuleni netball team fall short

Given only a few weeks to prepare due to the lockdown, Ekurhuleni coach Olian Thobejane believes his team will bounce back stronger after being eliminated ahead of the playoffs at the Spar National Netball Championships.

With only five teams competing in the A-division, as some districts were missing due to coronavirus fears and financial constraints, Ekurhuleni were the only top-flight side to lose out on a place in Friday’s semifinals.

“We’ll work on things and hopefully we’ll have a chance to prepare earlier next year,” Thobejane said.

“I think we’ll keep this squad in preparation for next year’s national championships, and we’ll definitely be back.”

Ekurhuleni and Cape Town had played to a 30-30 draw in their match on Wednesday, and after both sides lost all their other round robin games, Ekurhuleni needed to beat Dr Kenneth Kaunda on Thursday to guarantee themselves a spot in the penultimate round.

They were handed a 58-16 defeat by last year’s runners-up, however, and they were knocked out of the competition on goal difference.

In their absence, Dr KK will face Cape Town and defending champions Tshwane will meet Johannesburg in Friday’s semifinals.

“Johannesburg are a strong team and we’ve ranked them from the start,” said Tshwane coach Jenny van Dyk, as the title holders targeted a place in tomorrow’s trophy contest.

“I think we’ve got the tougher semifinal, which will help us prepare for the final.”

While they had not dominated the championships, falling to Dr KK in the round robin stage, Van Dyk remained confident her team could retain the national crown.

“We’ve had four tough games in a row, but we are here to experience pressure, so we’re looking forward to our semifinal.”

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.