Tuks’s women’s netball team may not have won a trophy this year, but it is not all doom and gloom; the foundation is in place for 2027 to be a big year.
You could almost predict right now that the team will win a tournament next year. Why be so confident? Well, if there was one thing that excited everyone who watched the team play this year, it was the team’s never-say-die attitude. What the team lacked in experience, they made up for with a fighting spirit. Proving during the Varsity and USSA Tournaments that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
In sport, it is never good to dwell on “what might have been,” but it is a pity that the dates for the Varsity Tournament and the Africa Netball Cup overlapped. This meant Tuks lost three key players (Kamogelo Maseko, Kyla Dames, and Luca Keun) for the Varsity semifinal clash against Northwest.
Despite this, Tuks’s young players nearly pulled off a win; the outcome hung in the balance until the final two minutes. Northwest won 52-50. In the pool-stage encounter, Northwest won by just one goal. Tuks also has the distinction of being the only team that managed to beat UJ during the Varsity Tournament. Tuks had eight first-years playing for them in the tournament.
One of the big highlights during the USSA Tournament was Tuks’s clashes with the Kovsies. In the pool game, Tuks beat them 49-48. The two teams clashed again in the semifinal. Tuks again secured the victory in the dying minutes, winning 53-52. Tuks lost to UJ in the final of the USSA Tournament.
Tuks coach Amanda Mynhardt has nothing but praise for the way her team played in the Varsity Tournament.
“Obviously, it was disappointing to lose in the semifinal, but it is what it is. What excites me is how the first-year players stepped up.”
Mynhardt named Skyla Eley (main goal-scorer), Kristi Koekemoer (attacking winger), and Kimberly Amiras (defender) as three of the newcomers who impressed her.
“That first weekend in Stellenbosch wasn’t easy for Skyla. People were very critical of her; it was said she wasn’t good enough. She didn’t let that get her down. As the tournament progressed, she just kept getting better and better. In the semifinal against Northwest, her shooting percentage was 92%. She dominated the shooting circle.
“In defence, Kimberley and Luca Keun complemented each other brilliantly. They improved with every game. Kristi started out playing as a defender for Tuks, but within three weeks she was in action as an attacking wing in the semifinal. That speaks volumes about her character. Talent is one thing; with her discipline and work ethic, she could go far.”
