Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

A confident Jamaica Under-21 team will meet their Australian counterparts in today's opening game of their three-Test series at the National Arena starting at 5 pm.

Jamaica's head coach Annette Daley said her team is looking forward to a very competitive series from the Australians, but they are very determined to win all three matches.

"The girls are pretty confident based on the training they have put in, and their aim right now is to go out there and do their best," said Daley.

"We know that in order for us to be successful, we have to be not only efficient, but effective at what we do and, therefore, we have been working on that," she said.

Daley added: "We are working on the technical aspects of our game because we do have the athletic ability."

The Junior Sunshine Girls will be led by the experienced duo of Shantal Slater and Shameera Sterling, who recently took part in the Fast5 World series in Auckland, New Zealand.

The team also includes captain Shanice Beckford, Sade Ffrench, Dhanyel Johnson, Khadijah Williams, Stacian Facey, Thristain Harwood, Shaunton Matheson, Antoinette Stone, Deneen Taylor, Adean Thomas, and Melissa Wright.

THE AUSTRALIANs

The Australians, who are coming off a three-series win over Caribbean side Trinidad and Tobago, will enter the series against the local girls oozing confidence.

Carol Byers, Australia's Under-21 coach, said they are expecting a very challenging and exciting series.

"We are expecting a very tough series against the Jamaicans," said Byers,

"The Jamaicans are always really fierce competition for us, and so it is about preparing and learning about the players that they have over here, and also their style of play," said Byers.

"They are confident because we have just been to Trinidad and Tobago and we have played a three-Test series against their Under-21 team, and that helped us bond together as a group."

The second the game takes place tomorrow while the final match will be played on Sunday.

Both teams are using the series as part of their preparations for the World Youth Netball Championships, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in August 2013.