Fireballs blaze atop TNL as the Crinums lurk

All eyes will be on the Telkom Netball League Division One leaders when the competition returns for the second block. All 16 teams will return to the North West from 13 to 17 June, including Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Eagles and the national Under-21 side, the Baby Proteas.

The final round of this year’s elite league is set for 14-20 July.

2022 winners, the Gauteng Golden Fireballs made a clean sweep in the opening round, winning all their six matches. They will be going into the second round with 12 points, followed closely by the defending champions, the Free State Crinums, with 10 points.

Fireballs assistant coach, Bongiwe Msomi understands that although they started the season well, it will be a lot tougher in the remaining matches.

“One can be excited about what the Fireballs can pull or could do up to now but we know it’s going to be tough. This is the second bumper and this is where everyone steps up because we are going towards the end. It’s about where you want to be in terms of placings, you need to know where you sit, hoping to play in the semifinal,” said Msomi.

The former Proteas captain led the Fireballs to their first TNL title in 2022 and now sits on the bench with coach Dr Elsje Jordaan. Msomi said she’s content with how the team is growing.

“I am really proud of how the team has worked up to now. If you look at the players at Fireballs, they play together most of the time. I remember some of them when I was still playing, they were still kids at the time. Now to see them taking on senior and leadership roles is wonderful.

"Everyone enjoys each other’s space, Fireballs feels like home even for me sitting outside (on the bench). I’m enjoying the journey and having worked with coach Elsje before as her captain, I now sit on the side and give my input, on how she respects that. She is one of the best coaches in the country,” she says.

Msomi says she would like to experience how it feels to lift the trophy as a coach.

“Winning the TNL would be one of the best things in my coaching career now. I won it as a player and captain, it really felt great. I had seen teams winning it and I never knew what that felt like, when I did in 2022 it was just something else.

"When you stand on the podium and think of the preparations, sacrifices, training and all the challenges throughout the season to take that trophy at the end of the season is just an amazing feeling. I hope this will be our chance, it feels like it. I know the amount of work it takes to get to the point of lifting the trophy and I feel like we are doing enough to get into that position,” she says.

Although they lead the Division One table, the Fireballs are not going to have it easy to stay at the top. The Crinums were finding each other nicely towards the end of the opening round and having veteran Proteas player, Karla Pretorius on the bench will come a long way in how the side will want to finish this season.

Pretorius’ influence on the team is evident. Crinums had last won the TNL in 2016 and when she returned from spending a couple of seasons in Australia with the Sunshine Coast Lightning team last year, her experience and leadership saw the team winning its fourth title. The side will be looking to maintain the standard they set in the opening round to find a way to dominate and defend their title.

Division Two will be interesting. The fairly new, North West Tshukudu will be hoping to keep their momentum going after finishing at the top of the log standings ahead of a feisty Western Cape Tornados. The fight to stay in the top four will be fiercely fought as the Mpumalanga Sunbirds and the KwaZulu Natal Kingdom Stars are also on the same number of points as the Tornados. They all sit on 12 points.

Meanwhile, the second Power Week will be crucial for the Baby Proteas hopeful. Coach Precious Mthembu and her assistant, Phumza Maweni have a determining week finalising their squad for the upcoming Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar.

Mthembu has a team of 25 players that she and assistant coach Phumza Maweni are taking through their paces at the TNL as they try to find the perfect squad for the youth competition.

The former Spar Proteas midcourt star says the TNL has been a great platform to see what the players can do in pressure and high intensity moments.

“I am pretty excited, I don’t know about the girls there is a lot of pressure on them. This is the last week where we will be choosing the last 15 players. I am excited about what I saw on week one.

"Just last week I had remote training with them, we had some tests done and individual stuff done with them to prepare for the second week of the TNL. Hopefully, we will be choosing the right girls who will represent us at the World Cup,” said Mthembu.