Wilson: Fitness, execution key to winning Horizon Series

National senior netball player Latanya Wilson says improved fitness and proper execution will be crucial to the Sunshine Girls’ chances of success when they face England in the four-match Horizon Series next month.

The Jamaicans will play the first two matches against England’s Roses in London on November 21 and 22, before returning home for the final two games on December 5 and 6.

Wilson, who plays in the Australian Suncorp Super Netball League with Adelaide Thunderbirds, said they are working hard to improve their fitness following their silver-medal finish at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

“I think what we have to do is to make sure that we are fully fit, because this Commonwealth Games that just went by, you could see where we were lacking a bit of fitness. It is not great now, but we have been improving a lot because we have been going to the gym and doing a lot of fitness work as well,” said Wilson.

Difficult series

The 25-year-old defender, a mainstay in the Sunshine Girls team for the past five years, expects a difficult series against England, ranked third in the world, one place above the Sunshine Girls.

“It is definitely going to be a tough series because England is a good opponent and we and England have a great rivalry. So it will be quite nice to see how we will be able to perform against them,” she said.

“The last time we played in a series against them, they won two-nil, so last year and the year before we won the series two-one and the other game was a drawn match. So they are a very fierce opponent, and we can’t slack off, so it should be a good one.”

Wilson shared that she began preparing for the series upon her return from Glasgow, with gym work playing an important role in her efforts to regain peak condition.

“The preparations start from training but, for me, I started my preparations from the time I came back from Glasgow, Scotland,” she said.

“The gym is very important, and I have seen the benefits of it from when I was in Australia,. So I started here early, and I am just getting back strong in the gym.”

Positive atmosphere

Wilson highlighted that the atmosphere has been positive in training, and that the Commonwealth Games silver medal had boosted the players’ confidence.

“Training has been nice, and the vibes in the camp are great, and so I am just soaking in everything that Jamaica has to offer, given that I have been away for so long,” she said.

“Mentally, I love a good challenge, especially coming off that silver-medal performance in Glasgow, Scotland. It is great; it puts us at an advantage knowing that we have the capability to go out there and perform well.”

Several senior players are now involved in the pre-tournament preparations, and Wilson says this is helping the Sunshine Girls build toward the series.

“Mentally, not just myself but also the girls know that we can beat England and, given that a lot of the senior players are up for the training camp, it is actually nice, and we will get the full group back together later this month,” she said.