Jamaica’s senior netball Head Coach Connie Francis says with the talented players in her squad she remains confident that the Sunshine Girls will be a force in next year’s 16th staging of the Netball World Cup scheduled for Cape Town, South Africa, July 28 to August 6.

“We have a chance, just like any other team. We are mindful of the opposition because Australia and New Zealand have won the World Cup before, and certainly England and Jamaica have not, but certainly I don’t see why one of the top four, including us, can’t win,” Francis told the Jamaica Observer.

Francis said that once the Sunshine Girls execute all the game plans and work hard in their preparation they would surely be on the podium to collect a medal above the shade of bronze.

“I am confident that we will be on the podium based on the calibre of players we have in our unit. I can’t say that we all will remain healthy, but hopefully we will all remain healthy for the World Cup because if we are healthy and play as well as we have and as well as we have done at the Commonwealth Games and just correct some of the things that let us down, I can’t see why we can’t be a force to reckon with,” Francis said.

During the November 30 draw held at the East London Convention Centre in South Africa for groups for the World Cup, Jamaica were drawn in Pool C that will feature South Africa, Wales, and Sri Lanka.

Francis said that the Sunshine Girls should have a smooth path to topping the group.

“I like the group, I thought that if we play our cards right we should top the group. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t. I mean it’s been a long time since I have been to a World Cup, so I am not used to teams like Sri Lanka, but I have seen Wales. I am used to the English style, you know, in Wales and England they play similar styles. I am not overly confident that we will run through South Africa, but I know that we are more than capable of beating them,” said Francis.

The former Sunshine Girls captain said that South Africa should be their biggest challeng in the group, but vowed that the Jamaicans will be ready.

“In the group South Africa are our greatest challenge, but I do not underestimate the other two teams; I believe they are our greatest challenge. I think we just need to top the group and ensure that when we go across groups now we will be able to get one of the second-place teams in order to build into the final.

“I know they [South Africa] have gotten by their Head Coach Norma Plummer, and listening to what is coming out of South Africa it seemed as if we don’t stand a chance against them, but we have to play the game,” explained Francis.

Pool A consists of Australia, Tonga, Zimbabwe, and Fiji; Pool B will be contested by England, Malawi, Scotland, and Barbados; and New Zealand, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, and Singapore will battle in Pool D.