#TuksNetball: Venter took lesson she learned in New Zealand to heart

Posted on July 26, 2017

Listening to your coach does pay dividends.  Ine-Mari Venter (TuksNetball) will vouch for it after she got selected for the Proteas Team that will participate in the Quadrangle Tournament in New Zealand next month.
 
She is one of two new caps in the team, the other being Danelle Lochner.
 
At the start of the year, Venter was just another talented goal shooter. Everybody who saw her play was impressed, but it was if there was something missing which prevented her from being an outstanding player.  She was invited as a training partner with the Protea squad in January 2017 but did not make the final cut.
 
In a way, it was a good thing as it motivated her to work harder at her game. The turning point came when the Jaguars won the Brutal Fruit Series.  Venter admits to at times not being as accurate as she wanted to be. In some games, her goal accuracy was just about 80% which according to her is not good enough. A good goal shooter’s success rate should be 90%+. 
 
A spinoff for the Jaguars being victorious was that they got to play in New Zealand’s Super Club Tournament.
 
Jenny van Dyk (coach)  emphasised that the challenge for herself and the players were to learn as much as they possibly can.  Venter did exactly that.
 
Venter said getting the opportunity to play against some of the best of Australia’s and New Zealand’s club teams was the wake-up call she needed.
 
“It made me realise that I had to up my work rate. The play was much more physical. There was not a moment you could relax. Your reaction needs to be top notch. In local games, it is easy for me to win the ball from a rebound but during the Super Club Tournament, I found there were times that I was too slow. I also realised that you could not pass the ball for the sake of passing. We were forced to play more cleverly as the tournament progressed. All of this certainly stood me in good stead.”
 
Errin Burger who coached the Tuks Team at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) Tournament will also represent the Proteas at the Quadrangular Tournament. 
 
She is excited about the way the Proteas has improved over the last few years.
 
“There was a time when Australia, New Zealand and England could afford to rest their best players when they played us. It is not the case anymore. Now they got to play their best team. We can contest the first two-quarters. The challenge is to be competitive for a full hour.”
 
- Author Wilhelm de Swardt

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