ENGLAND’S netball Head Coach Jess Thirlby has expressed her admiration for Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls, describing them as some of the most competitive in the sport.

This came after the Sunshine Girls defeated the England Roses 2-1 to win the four-match Horizon Netball Series. The first game was tied at 49-49 before England won the second game 55-47 at AO Arena in Manchester, England, on November 16 and 17, respectively.

However, the Jamaicans won both of their home games at National Indoor Sports Centre on November 25 and 26. The Sunshine Girls first eked out a 50-49 win before taking the fourth and final game 61-53.

“I rate the Sunshine Girls right up there in terms of competitive countries,” Thirlby told the Jamaica Observer. “I think, hopefully, ourselves and the Sunshine Girls are two teams that have got incredible talent.”

Thirlby says that both England and Jamaica have the potential to challenge the dominant teams in the sport, Australia and New Zealand.

“I think we can match the likes of the Australians and the New Zealands,” she said. “And I think for World Netball, it would be brilliant to see either of us, or both of us, kind of break into that top two.

“So yeah, I think I’ve always respected Jamaica. I love the style, I love the flair, I love the talent. And when that’s harnessed, it’s very difficult to stop. It would have been great last year if we did have a Jamaica-England final at the World Cup.”

Thirlby also praised the growing number of Jamaican players competing in Suncorp Super Netball in Australia.

“I know a lot of the Jamaicans play over there now, and that’s only strengthening what they can do on an international stage.”

She expressed her admiration for the Jamaican crowd, describing the atmosphere as “incredible”.

“We love the Jamaican crowd as well,” she said. “I think whenever you play for your country, you want it to be like this. I know that they are not our fans, but I think this is an incredible environment to play in. I wish it was like this in more areas of the world.”

Thirlby also discussed the growing professionalism of netball in England, with the domestic competition attracting top talent from around the world.

“We’re starting to professionalise our domestic competition,” she said. “We’ve attracted some incredible talent from Jamaica, but also South Africa, and I always think to have a sprinkle of that international talent in our league helps to elevate the standard and intensity of the matches. So I’m a big supporter of that.

“If you get the right balance so that you’re still developing your home-grown talent, then yeah, we’ve had some fantastic Jamaicans over in our super league — and long made that continue.”

Thirlby, who has been England’s head coach since 2019, also spoke about the importance of having a strong domestic competition.

“We’ve got eight teams in our Super League, and we’re really proud of the competition we’ve built,” she said.

She also expressed her excitement about the future of netball in England.

“We’re really excited about the growth of the sport, and we’re working hard to make sure that we’re competitive on the international stage,” she said.

Thirlby also praised the appointment of former Jamaican Coach Connie Francis as director of netball for the Birmingham Panthers.

“I think it’s an incredible steal and a great sign in for the Birmingham Panthers,” she said. “I think they’ll really benefit from her knowledge.

“I’ve known Connie for a number of years. I admired watching her as a player and then I’ve interviewed her before when she came over to England with the Fast Net team many, many years ago, and she’s obviously done a fantastic job with the Sunshine Girls on more than one occasion.

“I believe there were two periods where she was head coach of the Jamaican Sunshine Girls. The Birmingham Panthers is a new club and so I think they’re right for having an input from somebody like Connie. I think I’m really curious to see how that goes. I’m sure she’ll be very, very successful in her partnership with Head Coach Joe Tripp.”

THIRLBY…I think we can match the likes of the Australians and the New Zealands…And I think for World Netball, it would be brilliant to see either of us, or both of us, kind of break into that top two (Garfield Robinson)

Jamaican supporters cheering on the Sunshine Girls. Collin Reid