Tuks beating Maties 48-43 on Monday night in the Varsity Netball final proves there is merit in Gary Player’s famous quote about the harder you train, the luckier you get. Or should it be said, the more you win.

There were indeed crucial moments during the game where luck favoured Tuks but to go unbeaten throughout a tournament takes more than that.

Tuks coach Jenny van Dyk is a firm believer that the more often any team gets to play high-pressure matches, the more confident they get in their abilities. That is what made the difference.

With eight minutes to play, Tuks was trailing 37-40, but no player panicked. Everyone stuck to the game plan. Over the next four minutes, Tuks played themselves back into contention, taking a one-goal lead. Then they went on to stretch it to three.

Still, Maties refused to give up. With 90 seconds left on the clock, the goal difference was back to being one. That is when the Tuks player’s big match temperament truly kicked in. Within seconds they scored four goals ensuring they are the champions.

To single out any player’s performance would be unfair. If ever a team played for each other, it was last night. Every player had put her body on the line. Some more than others. Captain Tshina Mdau got floored quite a few times. But every time she got back up, she was more determined.

“We won. We remained unbeaten. It is a first for Varsity Netball. It is unbelievable,” were the words of an elated Mdau moments after her team had won.

When asked how Tuks managed to prevail, Mdau answered that they have a great coach who never leaves anything to chance. More importantly, she knows how to get each of her players to play to the best of their ability.

“I never worried about the outcome of the game. I will admit there was a moment in that last ten minutes when I was wondering why we were trailing Maties. I told my teammates we needed to step up. They did. We won,” Mdau explained.

For Mdau the final is the end of the road as her Varsity Netball playing days have come to an end.

“It is my last hurrah, but the best hurrah ever. My journey with this team is a memory that is going to last forever,” she concluded.

Marlize de Bruin (Tuks vice-captain) believes their hunger to win is what in the end when it mattered made the difference.

Tuks is the first team in the history of Varsity Netball who has managed to remain unbeaten, winning ten games on the trot. It is the second time that Tuks wins the tournament. They did so also in 2017.

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