Netball Jamaica boss: Strong squad doesn’t remove England threat

President of Netball Jamaica (NJ) Karen Rosen has welcomed the return of star shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard to the Sunshine Girls squad for their upcoming Horizon Series against England, but warned that the Jamaicans will still have their work cut out against their rivals.

Fowler-Nembhard, widely regarded as one of the world’s best goal shooters, last represented Jamaica at the 2023 Netball World Cup. She also missed this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, after giving birth. The Sunshine Girls went on to win the silver medal.

The experienced shooter, who represents West Coast Fever in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball League, has been named co-captain alongside defender Shamera Sterling-Humphrey for the four-match series.

Rosen said Fowler-Nembhard’s return would provide a major boost as the team prepares for the highly anticipated contest.

“Jhaniele has never been out of the team, she has been unavailable for obvious reasons, and so we are really proud. And she is prepared and ready to jump back in to lead the Sunshine Girls along with Shamera Sterling-Humphrey,” said Rosen.

“I think it is a real balanced squad because the selectors really had a rough time, which is not a bad thing, but it just shows that players have to be at their best and keep working despite some of the things that we don’t have. But we still have a lot going for us, and so we need to take advantage of it,” she said.

The Sunshine Girls are scheduled to face England in the four-match Horizon Series, with the first two matches set for London on November 21 and 22 before the teams travel to Jamaica for the final two encounters on December 5 and 6.

Rosen said the players’ dedication and commitment in training had been encouraging, but noted that the coaching and technical staff face a demanding task in preparing the squad for the series.

“The team has been working. The coaches and technical staff have their work cut out for them, and the players have been showing their dedication and commitment around training and fitness, and so this is going to be a watershed event,” she said.

“The team really gives that picture of what Netball Jamaica and what the coaches are working at, and so we have a mixture of experience and youth. Together, I think once they gel, they will be unstoppable,” she said.

Rosen also underscored that England would present a significant challenge, particularly because they have had the advantage of training together, while some Jamaican players are yet to join the national camp.

“It will be a tough series because England have been working hard, and I am sure that they have been training together; and they have that advantage over us because some of our players are not yet in camp. But we are accustomed to managing that, and we will,” Rosen said.

England are ranked third in the world, just ahead of Jamaica, and Rosen expects the closely matched teams to produce competitive encounters.

“I expect it to be a close series, and I expect the games to be full, both in England and in Jamaica, and so I am really encouraging people to get their tickets early,” she said.

“We don’t have another international engagement after this series, and so it is our final time to test ourselves against one of the top five countries in the world. England is at number three, and we are just below them in the rankings.

Sunshine Girls squad

Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Gezelle Allison, Azara Wilmot, Shanice Beckford, Latanya Wilson, Jodi-Ann Ward, Kadie-Ann Dehaney, Crystal Plummer, Nicole Dixon-Rochester, Abigale Sutherland and Brie Grierson. Rhea Dixon, Kimone Shaw (reserve), and Adean Thomas (reserve).