With half of the second round of the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League (NPL) completed, some patterns are beginning to emerge, and there have also been some surprising results.

The teams that lost players to the SPAR Proteas, who finished second in the European Netball Championships in Belfast, were all back to full strength. The Gauteng Jaguars, who had lost five players to the national team, bounced back to their winning ways, with convincing victories over the Southern Stings and the Gauteng Golden Fireballs.  

The defending champions, the Free State Crinums, also won both matches, beating the North West Flames and the Golden Fireballs, to remain on track for the final on June 7. The Crinums are on top of the log, with 10 points, followed by the Jaguars and Flames, with six points each.   The Southern Stings are in fourth place with four points, and the Fireballs have no points after losing all their matches.

“I’m very happy with our depth after giving some of the younger players a run,” said Crinums coach Burta de Kock. “Also having our inspirational captain Maryka Holtzhausen back has made us gel better as a team as she has such a calming influence on the team. I am very confident of our chances to retain the title.”

But de Kock and her team will not have it easy with both the Jaguars, who beat them in round one, and the Flames breathing down their necks. Both teams are on 8 points just two behind the Crinums and capable of beating anyone on their day.

Jaguars coach Jenny van Dyk signalled that she expected to be in the final. “I’m always happy with a win, but I can’t say I’m happy with our performance. I want a more consistent performance over the four quarters. I don’t believe the girls are playing to their full potential.  I told them they couldn’t expect to be called exceptional if they played average.  I want them to play exceptional,” she said.

National coach Benny Saayman commented that there had been a considerable improvement in the standard of play since the inaugural NPL last year, particularly in the second division teams.

“The Sunbirds in particular have come along very well, and the more they are exposed to top-level netball, the better they will be,” said Saayman.

She said the strongest teams in the NPL were those that had a strong university team at their core, like the Jaguars, Flames, Crinums, Aloes and Stings.

“The majority of players in those teams play together all the time, whereas teams like the Diamonds and the Sunbirds have vast distances to cover to get to practices, so they are at a huge disadvantage.  There is also a need for strong leagues in those areas, so that their players get plenty of match netball. Strong leagues lead to strong teams,” said Saayman.