FOLLOWING the disheartening show by the Sunshine Girls at the IFNA World Netball Championships (WNC) last week, the post-mortem hinted at by the local governing body has assumed the status of an eagerly-anticipated event.

In fact, if Jamaica Netball Association (JNA) boss Marva Bernard follows through with her intimations, the nation can expect to hear something tangible this week as an embarrassed netball fraternity grapples for coherency — and answers — in the aftermath of the fourth-place reality check suffered in Singapore.

Inevitably, there have been arguments surrounding the reasons for the failure of the senior squad in both the semi-final and third-place play-off games, with the matter of coaching assuming centre stage, and the calls for a new panel escalating into impassioned pleas.

However, in the midst of all this, the question arises as to whether or not we held too high an expectation of the team, despite our third-place finish in the last few editions of the championships.

The fact is that the senior squad has been in rebuilding mode over the past few years, having lost a number of its most experienced players to retirement — like former captain and coach Connie Francis, and current head coach Oberon Pitterson — within a very short period.

Simultaneously, recent developments have, in all fairness, absolved the JNA of not being proactive. After all, they solicited the service of former Australian national coach Jill McIntosh as technical director; secured the Sunshine Chalet as a necessary residence for players and to enhance team bonding when preparing for major tournaments such as the WNC; and organised ‘test’ series against England, Australia and Trinidad and Tobago.

Furthermore, in an effort to reverse the trend of Australian and New Zealand dominance and to lend transparency to the process, one saw the JNA trying to do things differently this time around. Unprecedentedly, they interviewed candidates for the positions of captain, head and assistant coaches — laudable moves in the interest of democracy.

However, since there has really been negligible support from corportate Jamaica, it could, in all fairness, be argued that the nation was hoping, as it has done over the years, to secure a free ride at the expense of the patriotic but poorly treated Sunshine Girls.

Having been ignored for an interminable period, or, at the very least, given scant attention and financial assistance, compared to the presumably ‘glamour sports’ of football and athletics, the moderate performance of the girls at the WNC could probably be treated as a desperate call for help.

For, with the exception of a few corporate entities, like Jamaica Broilers, the local association has virtually had to beg its way into this tournament, with prosperous businesses literally refusing to support the team in any substantial manner, and the cash-strapped JNA having anxiety attacks over the possibility of not ultimately making the trip to Singapore.

Again, it must be borne in mind that in spite of securing a few bronze medals at the tournament in the past, this was achieved through talent, athleticism and determination by the Jamaican players, and definitely not through any noteworthy government or corporate support.

As those of us who followed the players’ profiles published by this newspaper will attest, the majority of the Sunshine Girls hold full-time employment and, leading up to the World Championships, had to engage in the juggling act of working and training.

In an environment where jobs are hard to come by, the girls would be expected to secure their livelihood and that of their dependents, first and foremost, before any notion of netball is even remotely entertained.

That over the years our mostly amateur players have been able to make such sacrifices while achieving creditable results and making us proud has therefore been nothing short of remarkable. This magnitude of such a sacrifice is made manifest by a comparison with their Australian and New Zealand counterparts who are professional players and therefore perform accordingly.

As it now stands, we cannot have our cake and eat it. For, I can’t recall receiving any reports of full houses at any of the fund-raising events staged by the JNA to offset their financial obligations, and which, by the way, could have even contributed to the sapping of the energy of the girls who have been very active participants — and hosts — on those occasions.

Neither can I recall any great announcement by the government of any substantial financial stimulus aimed in the direction of the netball fraternity.

In short, our netballers need to be propelled to a more dignified state, up and above mere fund-raisers while carrying on their slender shoulders the hopes of a nation whose only concern seems to be the accolades won, enhanced visibility for our global appeal, regional and global bragging rights, and the embellishment of our tourism product.

On the other hand, perhaps it was imprudent to blood new coaches at such a high-profile tournament where experience is a key ingredient for success. Also, maybe the Girls did suffer from tactical and selection blunders, triggered by naivety, in Singapore.

I argue, however, that those results could have been enhanced by a collective support system, rather than the hurried and seemingly haphazard approach that has obtained for far to long.