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Girlz fuel Girls
August 04, 2023
Amid the Reggae Girlz making history in the Women's World Cup in Australia, national netball captain Jhaniele Fowler and head coach Connie Francis have expressed how much their run has also inspired the Sunshine Girls to make history of their own at the Netball World Cup in South Africa.
Jamaica qualified for the round of 16 on Wednesday, the first Caribbean team to do so after their 0-0 draw with Brazil, sending the latter out of the tournament. It was a result that the Sunshine Girls got to watch from their hotel rooms miles away before their match against Trinidad and Tobago.
The Sunshine Girls have been fuelled by the shockwave the Reggae Girlz created. Fowler said it was a proud moment to see history unfold.
"It is inspiring. We know that the Girlz have been working so hard, and they have reached where they have never reached before," Fowler told STAR Sports.
Fowler said the success has also been used as a tool for their own World Cup journey - two wins away from a first Netball World Cup title.
"I know that we are proud, and it is amazing. It is definitely inspiring how we play as well, because it would be good if we could both take home the gold," Fowler said.
Francis said the closing moments were nerve-wracking but praised the Reggae Girlz' resilience and determination.
"It was remarkable. It had us on the edge of our seats, especially me, because everybody else was in their rooms. I was yelling 'no goal', and I got nervous at times, but I knew that the Girlz were more than capable of stopping any team from scoring against us, and I applaud them," Francis said.
As the Sunshine Girls face Australia Saturday in their semi-final, Francis hopes both can feed off each other in breaking glass ceilings in their respective endeavours.
"I hope they keep up this run, shake up the world, and say, 'Hey we are also a true contender. We sent home a big team. When has that ever happened'? I am so happy for them," Francis said.
The Reggae Girlz will face Colombia in their round of 16 clash on Tuesday.
