Despite being short on preparation work, head coach of St Ann Orchids Kurt Dale says his players are highly motivated and confident of beating Manchester Spurs in game one of the best-of-three games in the grand finale of the 2023 Seprod/Netball Jamaica (NJ) Elite League scheduled for the National Arena today.

The game is set for 7:30 pm but before that, the third-place play-off game between the Kingston Hummingbirds and the St Catherine Races will kick off at 6 pm. Game two is set for Sunday, April 16, and if possible, game three will play on Friday, April 21. All games will be played at the National Arena.

Manchester Spurs drew first blood when they defeated the Orchids 45-41 in round three of the competition on March 19. However, a dominating performance by the Orchids in the sixth and final round of the preliminary stage saw them beat the Spurs 65-49 on April 2 to level the playing field.

“I am pretty confident going into the final against Manchester Spurs. We have been working on some stuff since the start of the competition, and we have had some ups and downs trying to get the systems right. But I think in that last round game against Spurs, it really came together, and that’s why we did have a dominant performance against them,” Dale told the Jamaica Observer.

Dale said that the three-day Easter holiday weekend has really hampered his team’s preparation coming into the final.

“Unfortunately, the Easter holiday kind of broke that momentum for us a little bit, but hopefully the girls can come from the break feeling really good, rested, and capable of producing a similar performance. We didn’t have any opportunity to train over the Easter holiday weekend.

“I’m really not sure where they are physically, but I know mentally they are ready. We have had discussions in the group, and they are ready, and I am expecting a good performance from them,” Dale said.

TEAMS:

St Ann Orchids — Shaliah Bishop, Susan Douglas, Trishana Hanson, Odeacha Johnson, Kelsey Jonas, Chamoi Manahan, Roxonna McLean, Rebekah Robinson, Sabina Spence, and Quannia Walker

Manchester Spurs — Shanice Beckford, Paula Ann Burton, Crystal Crawford, Mischa Creary, Zonasha Hinds, Crystal Plummer, Kimone Shaw, Shantal Slater, Abigale Sutherland, and Cornelia Walters