Maurice Kambukwe
Windhoek – Desert Jewels head coach Julene Meyer has heaped praise on her charges following two consecutive wins at the ongoing M1 Nations Cup in Singapore.
The Namibian national netball side earned their second victory yesterday after beating Cook Islands 61-46.
The Namibians first shared the spoils 54-54 against the hosts Singapore at the weekend, before registering their first victory of the tournament when they defeated Ireland 52-31 on Monday.
Yesterday’s match proved just how much the team had been prepared for this competition. Speaking to New Era Sport yesterday, at their base in Singapore, coach Meyer said she was pleased with the team’s performance thus far. She, however, added the team still needed to improve in certain aspects such as getting around the ball.
“I am quite happy with the intensity that we played with and the consistency. Our shooters were shooting well. The defence were disciplined but we still need to work on getting around the ball a little bit more and there are some areas that need improvement,” she said.
“I am quite happy with the way we entered into the game and the way they executed the instructions.”
Meyer admitted the Cook Islands match was not as easy at it seems.
“We played Cook Islands, a team that has a defensive set up, similar to the New Zealand one. We knew from the start that it was going to be a tough encounter because they are technically a good team and challenge very hard on the ball. So we had to absorb lot of pressure but we started strong and build some momentum in each quarter that we played,” she added.
Namibia’s next match is against Papua New Guinea today. “We are playing Papua New Guinea, very similar to the Cook Islands, also the Caribbean style of playing and we looking forward to them as well. It will be another tough physical encounter. These islanders are both very tricky. They are tough girls to play and difficult to get around them,” said Meyer.