Vitality Roses: Jess Thirlby believes England have more to give against Jamaica
Watch the second and third Tests between England and Jamaica live on Sky Sports on December 4 and 5; both outfits are building towards next year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
Monday 29 November 2021 11:45, UK
Vitality Roses head coach Jess Thirlby says England haven't hit their straps yet and have more to give against Jamaica in the second and third Tests.
England's head coach was speaking after her outfit's 55-45 victory over the Sunshine Girls on Sunday.
In front of a packed house at the Copper Box Arena, the Roses problem-solved their way to victory, and yet again highlighted their ever-growing strength in depth.
Thirlby made two key changes during the contest; she introduced Eleanor Cardwell at GA five minutes before half-time and Eboni Usoro-Brown arrived at GK for the second half.
"We've been really fortunate in the last couple of months to be able to look to our bench," Thirlby said to Sky Sports following their victory.
"I didn't really want to do it under those circumstances [a slow start], but I thought that we were a little bit 'staccato'."
On paper, Thirlby's starting line-up was arguably England's strongest seven, with Natalie Haythornthwaite, Helen Housby and Jo Harten combining in attack.
However, the trio - in particular the shooting combination of Housby and Harten - didn't fire on all cylinders and instead, Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Shamera Sterling disrupted them.
Dehaney and Sterling used their athleticism and nous to limit space in the circle and both were able to disrupt the rhythms of Housby and Harten on their shots.
"Whilst they are household names, they've not been around," Thirlby noted about her Roses. "It just takes a while [to settle].
"Jamaica did ask us questions of us, but I thought that we did a lot of it [the damage] to ourselves. We closed space in attack, we didn't open space particularly well, and it just took us a little while to find our feet.
"To have to do that [find your flow] while playing against world-class opposition is difficult. Jamaica don't ever let you win easily, so to come away with a 10-goal victory when we know that we haven't really hit our straps, is pretty impressive."
While Cardwell changed the dynamic in attack, Usoro-Brown produced an outstanding performance at goalkeeper.
The 33-year-old, who will play her netball in Australia next season, returned to an international court for the first time since giving birth to her daughter.
The pressure Usoro-Brown put on 6ft 4in Jhaniele Fowler allowed Beth Cobden and Layla Guscoth to pick off countless interceptions and show their world-class abilities.
England's Vitality Roses will now have an intense week of preparation before the second and third Tests take place in quick succession on Saturday and Sunday.
As Housby said prior to the series starting, Jamaica's natural playing style is "so different" to any other of the world's top five teams.
With more in the tank, England's Vitality Roses must set themselves the target of pressing on and securing the series with a match to go on Saturday.
If they do, Thirlby will then need to decide her approach to the final Test, either continuing to bed in returning players or providing opportunities for other members of her squad.
It would be a fascinating conundrum for the head coach to have, but one that can only be tackled if the Roses step up a gear and win the second Test in Nottingham on Saturday.
Watch the second and third Tests between England and Jamaica, live on Sky Sports Arena and Mix on Saturday and Sunday. Both Tests will also be streamed on the Sky Sports YouTube channel for viewers in the UK and Ireland, coverage starts at 3.45pm on both days.
