Marlize de Bruin seems to be a “Jack of all trades and master of all” when it comes to netball. Just more than a week ago, she was sitting on the side-lines as Tuks battled it out in the Varsity Netball Tournament in Stellenbosch. Her role was that of assistant coach. This week she will be back amid the action when she captains the Jaguars in the Telkom League in Pretoria. To De Bruin, it does not matter whether she coaches or plays. Netball is her passion. All she cares about is to make a difference on the court or from the side-lines. The Jaguars had been the Telkom champions for the last four years. In sport, that is a long time. De Bruin fully realises that no team can remain champions forever. But it does not mean that she and her teammates are going to give up without a fight. “It had been pretty amazing to keep on winning. Each year there were those who predicted that we are going to lose. But we did not. What helped is that the Jaguars got a winning culture. It did not matter what happened at any time on the court. We believed that we will win. Even if it was in the dying seconds,” she explained the success of the team. She admits that the team now might lack slightly when it comes to experience. But it helps that the Telkom Tournament is played in two ‘bubbles’. “This week our focus will be to get our ‘structures’ in place when we play. If we can gel as a team, things are going to get interesting. Having Jenny van Dyk as our coach is also a big plus. I rate her as one of the best. She is brilliant when it comes to strategizing,” said De Bruin.   As to her role as captain De Bruin said, one of the most important things she wants to bring across to young players is that nothing is impossible with the right mindset and passion. “You can never wait for something to happen on the court; you got to make it happen,” she commented. According to De Bruin, she enjoyed helping Tuks as a coach during the Varsity Tournament. “For me, it was a way to give something back to Tuks. I studied for seven years at the university. In that time, there had been many memorable moments as a student and a player. Those experiences were instrumental in helping me to be the person I am today. But to be honest, there were times during the Varsity Tournament that itched to be on the court. Especially when I saw an intercept line, and I knew I could make it count for Tuks,” De Bruin concluded. The full Jaguars team is: Nonsikelelo Mazibuko, Chantelle Swart, Danielle van Zyl, Alice Kennon, Mbalenhle Ntuli, Phindile Sithole, Marlize de Bruin, Monica Gomases, Melodine Jacobs, Jamie can Wyk, Akosua Mensah, Sinethemba Maseko, Melissa van Zyl and Simone van Reenen. Non-travelling reserves: Jeanette Vermeulen and Tracey Mthunzi. By Wednesday, the Jaguars were still unbeaten after four games, while two games remain for them in the first part of the tournament in Pretoria.  

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