South Africa have every chance of getting back into the top five of world netball, outgoing captain of the South African netball team Bronwyn Bock-Jonathan said on Tuesday.
Bock-Jonathan, who is taking up a coaching position in Canberra, Australia, said in a teleconference that South Africa are currently ranked second in Africa, after losing to Malawi at the world championships.
”We’re better than that. We had a very good tournament at the world championships, until the last game when we lost to Malawi,” she said. ”I believe South Africa will get back to where they belong, especially as the number-one team in Africa.
”The new coach, Carin Strauss, will do a good job with the national team. She has good experience with the Under-21s, and she has four years to work with the team before the next world championships.”
Bock-Jonathan, who played in 51 Tests and captained South Africa at the World Championships last year, said she had withdrawn from the national team but not officially retired from international netball yet.
”I’m taking up a new job as coach of the ACT Academy team and the Canberra Darters, as well as athletic development officer at the ACT Academy, and I think that for the next year at least, my focus will be on my job and on my family.”
However, she said that if Netball South Africa needed her to play at any stage, she would not rule out that possibility.
”But netball is the kind of game where the way you work with the players around you is very important, and so it is not easy to just bring people in. I don’t really think it would be logistically possible for me to continue to play a role in the Proteas team.” — Sapa