Jenny van Dyk happy with SA preliminary Fast5 squad

Netball South Africa, led by director of selection Ivy Khumalo, announced the list of 18 players ahead of the Netball Fast5 tournament yesterday. 

Van Dyk told SABC Sport that the combination of young and experienced players on the list will make it seamless when the coach selects her final squad to travel Down Under.

"I'm happy with the list of players that we selected as the SA Fast5 squad. I think it's a good mix between young, up and coming players, and some experienced players that have been around," said van Dyk.

"There are enough options for whoever will be the coach to pick what will fit into her game plan, which is a really good position to be in." 

South Africa and Uganda are the only two teams that will represent the continent at the 15th edition of the FAST5 Netball World Series, to be hosted in Christchurch for the third successive year, on 9-10 November 2024. 

Van Dyk says the tournament will help assess how players manage when playing under pressure and wants to see how the entire experience will feed into what she aims to achieve with the national team.

"This tournament will give us a good idea of what the future holds for all the other teams, including your own team, and it also shows how players perform under pressure, with that power-play coming into play," she noted.

"Just like with the varsity netball competition, it really builds resilience and mental toughness if you treat it well, and this tournament, because of playing [against] five different countries, it really gives young players a quick idea of all the different styles.

"It also allows for them to understand what the intensity is that we strive towards – even though Fast5 is much shorter in duration, the intensity levels needed to be maintained through the competition just gives you a good idea of how capable you are."

READ: How TNL shaped Proteas coach Jenny Van Dyk’s career