Tuks Netball can vouch that being successful is exciting but it also brings its own unique challenges.
On Sunday the Jaguars won the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League by beating the Northwest Flames 49-43 in the final and there surely can’t be a more deserved winne.
The previous three years have been a classic scenario of the Jaguars being forever the bridesmaid but never the bride. The team’s latest success certainly proves that perseverance does pay off.
Being champions means that the Jaguars will compete in the Super Club Tournament in New Zealand from 2-7 July. Apart from the Jaguars the top three teams in New Zealand’s Netball Premier League, as well as the top teams from Britain, the Americas, and Europe, will be in action.
All of this means TuksNetball has become something of a “hostage” to their own success. Twelve of the 15 players of the victorious Jaguars are Tuks players. The problem is that the South African Universities Tournament takes place from 3-7 July which in effect means that Tuks will have to do without their top players who will be playing in New Zealand.
But Jaguars and Tuks head coach, Jenny van Dyk doesn’t foresee it being a serious problem as Tuks Netball have planned in advance.
‘We actually prepared for just such a situation by ensuring our younger players will be ready to represent Tuks at the Universities tournament. It’s going to be exciting for them and a good learning experience which will stand them in good stead later on. I’m confident that the young players will be able to do what needs to be done to qualify Tuks for the Varsity Tournament in August.’
The prospect to coach the Jaguars at the Super Club Tournament really excites Van Dyk, who was netball coach for South Africa at last year’s AUS Region 5 Games in Luanda, Angola.
‘As a coach, it has always been my dream to help improve the standard of play in South African netball, therefore, the challenge I set for myself and the players is to learn as much as possible at the tournament. I want to learn how the other teams prepare for such tournaments and what they do and don’t do while we playing.
‘The more we learn the better as it will be a continuance of what we started in the Brutal Fruit series.
‘The Jaguars success can be ascribed to the fact that we were prepared to go back to the proverbial drawing board, leaving absolutely nothing to chance. It was all about marginal gains in the build-up to the tournament that included the way the players’ clothes were designed, their conditioning and fitness training, testing and trying new combinations, absolutely everything.
‘The concept of marginal gains was especially important during our games. In not one game did we think about the final outcome. It was always about what is happening right now for example what the outcome would be if we passed the ball a certain way. The challenge we set ourselves was to make sure we improved our standard of play in each quarter by at least 1%. We were not always able to do so which meant that we had to push a bit harder in one of the other quarters.’
Van Dyk is never one to make bold predictions but promises that the Jaguars will do their utmost to be competitive in every game at the Super Series.
Pictures of Van Dyk courtesy of Reg Caldecott