BIRMINGHAM, England — Connie Francis, head coach of Jamaica’s national netball team, is confident the team is equipped to push for an upgrade on the bronze medal won at the last Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018, as competition at the 2022 event gets going at the NEC against Wales at 6:00 pm (12pm Jamaica time) on Friday.

The fourth-ranked Sunshine Girls fine-tuned their preparation with an impressive 63-37 win over world number seven Uganda in a warm-up game at the competition venue yesterday, much to the delight of Francis.

“We can make the podium, but in order for us to get a different type of medal we have to show the tenacity and the discipline to play the type of netball necessary in order to get to the finals. I think that we do have it in us but we just have to peg at it in each quarter, against each team that we play — just to play with that sense of discipline in order to get it all together,” Francis told the Jamaica Observer.

“This is a real opportunity because we have a very solid team.”

Five players on the current squad ply their trade in the Suncorp Netball League in Australia – Jhaniele Fowler (West Coast Fever), Shimona Nelson and Jodi-Ann Ward (Collingwood Magpies), Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson (Adelaide Thunderbirds).

“It’s not just about professional experience, they have also been playing together for a very long time and they are no strangers to each other. I really expect that chemistry to shine through. Yes, it will be tough but as they say, ‘When the tough get going the going gets tough,’ ” Francis added.

The Jamaicans have won the bronze medal in three of the seven netball competitions held at the Commonwealth Games. In 2018 they defeated New Zealand 60-55 in an epic, third-place contest at Coomera Indoor Sports Centre.

They also took bronze at the 2014 and 2002 instalments in Glasgow and Manchester — the last time the Games were held in England.

Francis described yesterday’s warm-up win as a good sign of the team’s readiness, heading into the competition.

“I was very impressed with our defensive play. They showed that they’re in it, they were playing netball. They’re consistently giving themselves an opportunity for interception and coming from defence into attack, I think that their game is spot on,” assessed Francis.

“Our shooting is really good. I think we just need to work on one or two things in our attack to get our attacking team flowing the way that we’d like it to flow.”

In a physical encounter that saw several combinations being tested, Fowler was, as always, in impressive form — scoring 27 goals from 28 attempts.

“She’s a tower of strength up there but not only her, we have Shimona who has been doing really well also but it’s for us to choose the right pass,” said Francis.

— Andre Lowe