Winning start for title holders Johannesburg at national netball champs

Managing players will be key this week, according to Johannesburg head coach Elsje Jordaan, after the title holders opened their campaign with two victories in warm conditions at the Spar National Netball Championships at Ellis Park on Monday.

After picking up a 69-35 victory over eThekwini, the hosts then secured a convincing 63-42 win over Tshwane to strengthen their place as favourites in search of their third straight senior A-division title.

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“I’m pretty pleased. I think we were better in the second game on rounding off – working so hard, punishing them and then getting the reward – and the calmer the shooters are when they receive the ball, the more accurate they become,” Jordaan said.

“But it is challenging – it is quite hot out there and it’s physical so it’s about running legs and running players. As soon as you think a player is settling, you realise you need to make a change.

“Whoever is going to win this (trophy) will be the team that manages their team the best.”

Other results

Meanwhile, Cape Town beat Ekurhuleni (57-45) and Dr Kenneth Kaunda (51-47), while Cape Winelands defeated Mangaung (51-46) and Nelson Mandela Bay (56-24), as they too remained unbeaten in the top-flight division on day one.

In the Under-21 tournament, defending champions Tshwane also got their title defence off to a promising start with two victories, beating Cape Town 46-36 and Mangaung 66-38.