England v Jamaica in the Netball World Cup analysed by Jess Thirlby
Saturday 8 August 2015 14:30, UK
Former international Jess Thirlby has expertly broken down England's Netball World Cup match against Jamaica...
With the constant exchanges of bronze medals between these two teams at major championships it’s no wonder that both nations are keen to promote themselves as title contenders and therefore avoid the ever-competitive meeting in the third v fourth play-off. You sense that will no longer satisfy either teams’ aspirations.
Jamaica, who were handed the opportunity to open the World Cup against Samoa, did not disappoint and while the result was never in question their 90 goals acts as a reminder of the challenge their attacking unit will provide for any team.
More notable might be the goals they conceded and this could hint towards an area where England will look to capitalise when they meet on Saturday. This might explain why captain Nicole Aiken-Pinnock was quick to divert attention back towards her shooters when complimenting them post-match.
In contrast, Jhaniele Fowler–Reid’s assessed her five misses as not being good enough for when she meets the top three nations. So if there is a weakness in the Jamaicans, will it be in their defence?
It’s a brave person to ever underestimate any Jamaican but it will be a good match-up with an England shooting circle boasting the world class combination of Pamela Cookey and Jo Harten alongside the in-form Rachel Dunn and the youngster Helen Housby.
The much talked about ‘range’ of the Jamaica defence will no longer be enough to tame the creativity, movement and intelligent England circle and, more importantly, we’ll find out whether or not the Sunshine Girls’ defensive unit works effectively together.
In the past they have been torn apart by the Roses. With Aiken-Pinnock calling the shots and the effervescent Khadijah Williams, Sasher-Gaye Henry and Stacian Facey flanking her, there’s no doubt that they will capitalise from any possession the England attack may squander. I’m sure with the knowledge these players have now accumulated they will undo England at times and transition quickly through to their shooters.
At the other end, the England defence will be thrown far more to deal with than the Scottish Thistles offered them. Geva Mentor and her crew worked well to secure effective ball-side positions, squeezing the Scottish attack together or punishing any long cross-court balls. But the clear difference with Jamaica being the towering shooting options in Aiken-Pinnock and Fowler-Reid, England will be forced to counter the Sunshine Girls’ aerial ability.
They have the tools to do this, not least in the combination of Mentor and Sonia Mkoloma who the crowds and fans were finally afforded to see in full swing against Scotland. England can also look to Eboni Beckford-Chambers, who can be confident in her ability to counteract Aiken-Pinnock and Fowler-Reid alike due to her week-in week-out battles with them in the ANZ for the past three seasons.
Notably, it’s the England midcourt that appears to be throwing up some interesting options. Tamsin Greenway, as expected, combined well with Cookey in the opening quarter and Dunn in the latter part of the game but the international debut of Serena Guthrie on the WA also appeared to be have its strengths. With her feeding ability in full flow she brought the best out of Harten, and England capitalised from of her vision with some fine long balls.
With the ghosts of last year’s Commonwealth Games defeat still present, the opportunity is there for the Roses to put them well and truly to bed. It won’t be easy, but it will prove the best tonic to see how far the team have come since then.
They will face a Jamaica team whom no longer seem to sulk when things aren’t going their way. The Jamaicans appear to be much more disciplined and the influence of Jill McIntosh, the technical director, appears to have harnessed their flair and physical prowess and sprinkled a bit of structure, discipline and focus to their performances. But will that be enough?
England versus Jamaica will be shown live exclusively on Sky Sports 5 from 8:15am. Non-subscribers can also see matches without a contract through online streaming service NOW TV.
By purchasing a Sky Sports Day Pass for £6.99 or Sky Sports Week Pass for £10.99, you can enjoy access to all seven Sky Sports channels and watch on a TV with a NOW TV Box or on a range of devices.
