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Singapore Vandas look to learn from UAE Netball Cup final loss for a crucial year ahead
World No. 26 Singapore lost 62-53 to 18th-ranked Namibia in the UAE Netball Cup final on June 21. PHOTO: NETBALL SINGAPORE
Singapore Vandas look to learn from UAE Netball Cup final loss for a crucial year ahead
SINGAPORE – Despite falling short of a title in their first international outing of the year, the Singapore Vandas took heart from their United Arab Emirates (UAE) Netball Cup campaign, which ended in a 62-53 loss to Namibia in the final on June 21.
This was the first tournament under new head coach Tara Steel, who was appointed in March, and offered several positives as world No. 26 Singapore look to build towards a pivotal year that includes November's Singlife Nations Cup and the SEA Games in Thailand in December.
Steel said: 'The final outcome was disappointing because we weren't at our best today but all credit to Namibia.
'But I'm really happy with the fact that we were in a top-two final.
'We had a really strong week in terms of our execution in games consistently and still searching for a full 60-minute performance and we still didn't hit that today, but it bodes well in terms of SEA Games and our own Nations Cup in Singapore.'
Both teams were undefeated heading into the final, having dropped points only in their 49-49 draw earlier in the week, with Namibia topping the six-team table on goal difference.
This time, world No. 18 Namibia started strongly, showing discipline in defence as they closed down spaces and dictated the tempo.
While their attackers were clinical, Singapore's took some time to settle into the game. Leading 4-3 early on, Namibia pulled away with a seven-goal run to go 11-3 up, eventually taking the first quarter 16-10.
The second quarter was more closely contested, but Namibia maintained their advantage by outscoring the Vandas 17-16 for a 33-26 half-time lead.
Returning to the court, the Vandas outscored Namibia in the third quarter, with crucial interceptions by defenders Jamie Lim and K. Mishalenee creating key turnovers.
However, Namibia responded with a strong defensive display in the final quarter, limiting Singapore's opportunities in the shooting circle.
In a bid to break through, Steel introduced 1.81m goal shooter Priscilla Wong to counter Namibia's height advantage, but the opposition remained resolute, stretching to a nine-goal lead to seal the title.
Reflecting on the final, co-captain Toh Kai Wei, who was voted Singapore's Most Valuable Player of the tournament, acknowledged the challenge of facing a dynamic Namibian side who had changed their approach since the round-robin stage.
'Namibia played a really different game from what we played in the round-robin games, so the structure itself, we weren't really prepared for it,' said Toh, who plays goal attack and wing attack.
'There was a lot of movement from them, but we tried our best to adjust and re-adjust and counter back.
'It was not the result that we wanted but I'm proud of my team for putting up a good fight.'
Just the day before, the Vandas had bagged the Team of the Year (event) accolade at the Singapore Sports Awards, with Yeo Mee Hong, who led them to their first Asian triumph in 10 years, named Coach of the Year.
Looking ahead, Steel noted that while there were positives in their execution, fitness and consistency remain key areas for improvement.
The Australian said: 'We did execute our game plan and, when we did that it was effective, but we had moments where we stopped doing that – individually or as units.
'For us, it's probably about improving our fitness and conditioning for the game we want to play.
'Physically, we are smaller than our opponents, so it requires a lot of running and footwork to get free in attack. We've got plenty of time to build on that for the style of game that will be successful for us.'
Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing.
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