World Cup door still open for SA netball players on the fringe

Though she is pleased with the progress the current squad has shown since her return this month, Proteas head coach Norma Plummer says there are still opportunities for other players to earn places in the SA team for next year’s Netball World Cup on home soil.

Giving Plummer a chance to consider her long-term options, a large group of players turned out last week in the Spar Diamond Challenge series in Pretoria, with the Proteas and the SA Presidents XII going unbeaten in their matches against Scotland and Zimbabwe.

Following a shake-up of the national team’s management, Plummer believed it would take some time for them to find their feet, and while the Proteas looked fragile on occasion against lower-ranked opposition in the Diamond Challenge, she was satisfied with their performance after beating Scotland 54-36 in the final on Saturday.

Just eight months out from the World Cup in Cape Town, however, she admitted they would need to raise their game and sharpen up.

“The structures are in place and they are beginning to work, but this is not the World Cup and we still have work to do,” Plummer said.

While she would be based in her native Australia for most of the build-up to the World Cup, Plummer said the SA squad would have multiple opportunities to work together.

ALSO READ: Proteas coach admits World Cup trophy might be beyond their reach

She hoped to set up friendly matches against top-flight Australian domestic teams, and the Proteas were due to face Australia, New Zealand and England in the Quad Series in January.

The larger national squad would also convene for an upcoming training camp in Stellenbosch, and players on the fringe would be able to cement their places in the World Cup group if they impressed the selectors over the next few months.

“I will bring some of the players from the President’s XII into that (Stellenbosch) camp to work with them,” Plummer confirmed.