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The 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur were just after I just got married, so I basically got married the week before, had a week home, and then disappeared for what felt like three weeks to Kuala Lumpur.
It was amazing. It was also the first time staying in a complex where all the different sports were together, and we were all hosted together with other athletes that we’ d met for the first time. Lifelong friendships actually developed in that period of time.
We had a huge dining room where it was obviously 24-hour catering because they had to accommodate everybody’ s eating habits and when people wanted breakfast and meals.
But Magnum ice creams had just been launched and there were all these deep freezers full of free Magnums. That was really, I think, the abiding memory.
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After that, England put their English Roses platform together and they started paying their athletes. Australia have always been there and thereabouts. New Zealand too, with organising part-time jobs for their players so they can train and tour whenever needed.
We haven’ t really had that. We all kept fulltime jobs and trained and did all of that.
But today, I think younger players are getting opportunities to go and play netball overseas.
That’ s why I’ m very keen on these Commonwealth Games. Our team is really well prepared. They’ ve had lots of international experience, and they’ ve got experience in the side.
That series win against England in January / February was just a massive morale boost for all of them.
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Photos courtesy of Desree Neville |
Of course, the game everybody still talks about is the bronze-medal playoff against England. We all still talk about that game today because it was just such a massive loss.
Up until that stage, we hadn’ t lost to England before. That morning our training session actually didn’ t go very well. It was hot and we couldn’ t get a venue to train in. I think we were all just a bit flat going in there.
We were leading by one goal going into the final quarter, if I can remember it right, and then lost. That was really traumatic.
That remains the closest South Africa has come to a medal at the Commonwealth Games and I think one of the reasons it’ s been so difficult since then is because, at that stage, everybody was still semiprofessional or not professional at all. All the teams were amateurs.
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We’ re going to come up against Australia, England and Malawi in our pool games, so those are going to be tough challenges, but our team is ready. They know what to do.
The coaches are doing a great job, so I’ m very, very excited about what’ s coming.
For me, the biggest difference now is that our players believe that they belong there. Before, if we beat somebody, it was like a one-Test thing here and there. But a series win over England has really changed the mindset.
With our players getting more exposure in the international leagues, that for me is the big difference. Our teams are used to running with these players now.
And hopefully there are still some free Magnums waiting for them when they get to Glasgow!
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