TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO's women's netball team is eager to get their campaign under way at the Margaret Beckford Sunshine Series in Jamaica.
On Saturday, the Calypso Girls open their competitive account against Jamaica's women's team - Sunshine Girls - at the National Indoor Sports Arena from 4:45pm.
Both teams will play three matches in total with the other two scheduled for Monday and Wednesday. The visitors played against the Jamaica men's team on Thursday night in a warm-up match.
TT touched down in Jamaica on Wednesday and have already began training and go through their pre-match routines at the venue.
Squad captain and pro player Kalifa McCollin, who took up the mantle after Samantha Wallace pulled out of the series owing to personal reasons, is confident the national unit will bring their 'A' game against the hosts.
McCollin told Jamaican daily newspaper The Gleaner, 'Normally, when we play the Sunshine Girls, I think we just participate against them and think 'well they are a higher ranked team', but now we are here to stamp our authority and show what we are about.
'I think you should just expect a different brand of netball, very fast-paced, short and sharp movements and expect some flair as well.'
The TT team is a mixture of youth and experience. McCollin believes however, the squad has what it takes to triumph against the Sunshine Girls.
Currently, TT are tenth on the netball world rankings while Jamaica are ahead in fourth position. The top three nations are Australia, New Zealand and England respectively.
'We have a lot of new players coming in and we have some experience because we have four players coming from the last Netball World Cup in Liverpool. So we have a beautiful blend of experience and youth coming through.
'I think, for us, the biggest thing is to close the gap because we want to ensure that we do what is right and stick to our processes and execute our game plan as best as possible,' the captain said.
The last competitive meeting between both teams saw Jamaica triumph 68-43 at the 2019 Netball World Cup in Liverpool, England.
McCollin plays goal shooter and goal attack and competes for the Collingwood Magpies in the Suncorp Super Netball League in Australia.
She closed, 'The girls have been working extremely hard because I came in a few weeks ago and I have seen a shift in attitude towards what we are doing. We are working with purpose this time around, so I think that the preparations going into this series have been good.'
The last time TT competed at major tournament was at the 2019 World Cup. This tri-series is the first step towards reclaiming the game and serves as a good gauge ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games and 2023 World Cup.
Teams
TT: Kalifa McCollin (captain), Jameela McCarthy, Crystal-Ann George, Afeisha Noel, Tia Bruno, Oprah Dougles, Janeisha Cassimy, Destiny Williams, Shaquanda Greene-Noel, Aneicia Baptiste, Jeresia McEachrane.
Jamaica: Jhaniele Fowler, Shanice Beckford, Rebecca Robinson, Gezelle Allison, Amanda Pinkney, Ade
