Pepes on tenterhooks

 By KYMLIE KARANI

THE Pacific MMI Pepes are four weeks away from the Pacific Netball Series and ready to deliver.

Fingers are crossed by the 15 players hoping to make today’s announcement of the final 12 who fly to Samoa for the series in June.

Following the final trials on Sun­day at the Rita Flynn Netball Courts, Papua New Guinea Netball president Julienne Leka-Maliaki believes the selection panel had tried to put the best team together.

Leka-Maliaki said selection had been based on performance at training, trials over the weekend and a recent training camp at the Australian Institute of Sports in Canberra.   

“The final team has a combination of youth, experience and height in key positional areas and PNG Netball is optimistic of good results at the Pacific Series in June,” she said.

“The AIS programme was an eye opener for the team, particularly with high performance training ethics, state-of-the-art sporting infrastructure and high level completion.  

“The team has come away with an appreciation of the intensity of high level competition, best practices in training regimes and new knowledge of skills and techniques,” she said.

The team is four weeks away from the Pacific Series and the final phase of training started yesterday and will continue through to the tournament.  

Leka-Maliaki stressed the focus during this phase would include higher intensity in the fitness regime, refinement of court skills and building mental strength.

“The Pacific Netball Series tournament in June and the Nations Cup tournament in December are important for improving our ranking position to hopefully qualify for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.”  

The team is expected to have two training matches in Brisbane en-route to Samoa at the end of May.  

The Pacific MMI Pepes will be up against Fiji on June 4, play Samoa a day later, and Cook Islands on June 6.  The team returns home on June 8. The final 12 women squad out of 15 will be named on Wednesday.

The squad to be trimmed is: Tiata Baldwin (Aus), Cheryl Renagi (Aus), Maleta Roberts (Aus), Rayleen Andrew (Aus), Kula Iamo (Port Moresby), Richandah Kassman (Port Moresby), Kapu Kapi (Port Moresby), Winnie Mavara (Port Moresby), Kilala Owen (Port Moresby), Marypaul Beulher (Port Moresby), Margaret Eka (Port Moresby), Tau Galewa (Port Moresby), Albertine Ehari (Port Moresby), Nerrie Adula (Lae), Susan Wellington (Port Moresby).