The UP-Tuks netball team got to learn last night in the Rembrandt Hall what the true meaning of digging deep means when they played the Madibaz in the Varsity semi-final.
The score will show that the defending champions won 55-46, but it is not the actual story. At halftime, UP-Tuks was just hanging in there with a two-goal lead, and it seemed as if the Madibaz might just pull off one of the biggest upsets.
But Jenny van Dyk (UP-Tuks head coach) had an “ace up her sleeve” which she did not expect to play. It was to deploy both her goal shooters, Iné-Mari Venter and Venetia Grobler, in the circle.
The day before during training Van Dyk made it clear that playing the two of them together was never going to be part of her game plan. However a true “general” is one who is capable of adapting to the realities of the “war”. The turning point in the match was when Venter started playing goal-attack and Grobler goal scorer.
Afterwards, Van Dyk compared the semi-final to a battle of wits between her and the Madibaz coach.
“I can’t remember when last I had resorted to making so many positional changes in any game. I never doubted the outcome of the game however what worried me was our team could just not get into a good rhythm, no matter what combinations I tried. We had our moments of brilliance, but we were never in total control. As a last resort, I decided to combine Iné-Mari and Venetia, and it paid off.”
Van Dyk was full of praise for the way the Madibaz made UP-Tuks battle right to the end.
“As far as I am concerned it was one of the best performances by a Madibaz team. We expected a tough match, and they did not disappoint.”
Last night might be Venter’s second-last game for UP-Tuks for a while. She has been offered a contract to play for the Melbourne Vixens and is leaving for Australia in December.
“It was a tough decision. My ultimate dream is to become a vet, but the selection criterion to study veterinary science is quite strict. At the moment I am studying to become a veterinary nurse, and it is not quite what I had in mind. So when the opportunity to play professional netball arose, I was faced with a tough decision.
“I had a long discussion with ‘Coach Jenny”. She made me realise that maybe now it is time to play netball. I might never get an opportunity like this again and that I don’t want to end up with regrets one day wondering what could have been. I definitely plan to resume my studies at a later stage.”
As to playing goal-attack last night, Venter said she enjoyed it. However, it made her realise that she got to work on her fitness especially since she will mostly be playing in that position for the Melbourne Vixens.
Apart from Venter and Grobler the other outstanding UP-Tuks players were definitely the captain. Tshina Madau. She is like a proverbial "Jack Russell terrier" small of stature but with a lot of heart. Always in the thick of things. Marlize de Bruin again had a good game while Akosua Mensah seemed to relish the challenge of disrupting any oppositions attacks.
UP-Tuks will be playing Kovsies on Monday in Bloemfontein in the Varsity-final.
Virtual Campus
Get Social With Us
Download the UP Mobile App