The Netball Proteas sealed the Spar Challenge three-match Test series with a 3-0 clean sweep against Malawi, and coach Jenny van Dyk says there is still more work to be done.
South Africa wrapped up the series with a commanding 69-24 victory over their African rivals in the final Test at Ellis Park Arena on Sunday.
The 45-goal winning margin was the largest of the series, having won the first Test by 37 goals and the second by 31 points.
Van Dyk, who led the team for the first time since her appointment in February, said despite the team securing a convincing series clean sweep, there is still plenty of work to be done on and off the court.
All players were put to the test
“It was great score-wise. I was very pleased with the final result,” Van Dyk said after the game.
“We got a 3-0 victory over Malawi on our first run, and we’ve tested quite a lot of different combinations, and we’ve put all our players to the test,” she said.
“But this was not our best performance today [on Sunday], and I think there is still a lot that we need to work on as a team.
“I want 15 strong players, and I want to be able to prepare all of them as perfectly as possible because we have seen cycles where there was a strong seven, but one or two players go injured and the whole campaign easily gets destroyed.
“So, we need to create those levels and depth within all positions in the squad.”
We were there for one another
Captain Khanyisa Chawane praised her team for a commanding performance in the series, saying: “I’m really happy with how we went about this whole series, how we started and how we finished.
“As much as the coaches did look for more consistency, I think we did climb up every game and improve.
“I’m impressed with the group because every combination that the coach decided to put on, we were there for one another and played well and supported one another.”
After several impressive performances in goal attack, South Africa’s Kamogelo Maseko was named the Player of the Tournament, while Refiloe Nketsa was the MVP of the last match.
