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Dominant Jaguars have desire to win more titles

New season to be played across two provinces over eight weeks

Athenkosi Tsotsi Sports Reporter
Netball SA president Cecilia Molokoane, far right, poses with players at yesterday's launch of the Telkom Netball League.
Netball SA president Cecilia Molokoane, far right, poses with players at yesterday's launch of the Telkom Netball League.
Image: Supplied

After winning the Telkom Netball League (TNL) Division One five times in a row,  defending champions the Jaguars are still hungry for success, according to their star player Melodine Jacobs. 

Jacobs was present during the launch of the new TNL season yesterday at Southern Sun Hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg. As a representative of the Gauteng team, she was handed the trophy to take back to the team’s trophy cabinet.

With the return of the TNL on the horizon, there’s an air of excitement within the netball fraternity. The new season will be played across two provinces over eight weeks.

KwaZulu-Natal will host the opening power week of the tournament from April 26 until May 1, with the matches being played at the Olive Convention Centre in Durban.

Gauteng will then host the remaining matches of the league from May 20 until June 19 at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria.

With the fourth edition of the TNL coming, Jacobs assured they still have the desire to win more titles as they step into a new era. The Jaguars will be led by a new coach this season, with Rozanne Mathys at the helm as Jenny van Dyk has taken on the role of mentor coach. 

“We still have the same goals, every team has this goal to win the league,” said Jacobs. “Now that we have a different coach the structure is different, it’s a different team. We have a different environment within us, we’re looking forward to working together and getting to know each other and gelling as a team. That’s the main thing,” she said. 

With a target on their backs and every team wanting to dethrone Jaguars, they will be up against it this season. Jacobs knows it will be hard to defend their title this season. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, it won’t be easy,” said Jacobs on the prospect of defending the title. 

“It’s never easy, but who’s looking for easy anyways. When things are tough that is when you come out strong. Things are different, the coaching style is different, but at the end of the day we all have the same goal, that’s all that matters,” she said. 

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