Star defender steals the show in Varsity Netball game

Newcomer Keagile Magadla could not have caught the attention of those who matter faster if she tried after being named player of the match in only her second Varsity Netball outing for Madibaz.

The first-year student produced a performance belying her experience in her team’s 52-48 win over NWU last week, a day after they had opened their 2025 campaign with an impressive victory over UP-Tuks.

Sport can however be a great leveller as was the case when the Gqeberha outfit went down 63-50 to Wits on Monday, a setback Magadla admitted had been tough to stomach.

“Yes, it was a disappointment to the team and our coaches but we are determined to work even harder going forward,” the business management student vouched.

She is confident that “we will recover from this” if they stay the course plotted for them by the coaching team.

It is the self-same blueprint that has given her a leg up during her rise from relative obscurity all the way into the Madibaz senior team and onto the Varsity Netball stage.

“Each time I go out there I just try to be a bit better. For me, the best way to do that is to concentrate on implementing my coach’s instructions.”

In fact, she credits their flying start to the season to just that.

Trusting the coach, on-court communication and being able to anticipate her fellow players’ next move have been instrumental in them developing into an effective unit.

Her meet cute with Varsity Netball has been thrilling.

“Getting into the team was really exciting,” the master defender, who only started her studies at Mandela University this year, said. “I was nervous at first but felt mentally and physically ready.”

To be voted the best player on the court against NWU was a special moment for the 20-year-old.

“That recognition meant a lot. It felt like a reward for all the hard work over the years. I’m very grateful.”

By Grade 10 the affable youngster found herself running onto the court as a member of her Alberton high school’s first team.

Since then it has been a whirlwind of academics and tournaments around the country as she plied her trade for several Gauteng-based district teams.

Selection for the Madibaz to compete in the University Sports South Africa tournament at home in July was yet another important step.

She hopes these experiences will serve her and the rest of the team well as they look to press the reset button before travelling to Pretoria for their games against Maties on Sunday and UJ on Monday.

Both start at 5pm.