Top eight target

 By KYMLIE KARANI

THE Junior Pepes are in Singapore, awaiting the final leg of their journey today to a top eight finish at the World Youth Netball Championships.

Papua New Guinea is in Pool D and must find a way to beat either England or Singapore to finish in the top two of their pool in order to progress to the top eight play-offs. The Margaret Eka-captain side flew out from Jackson Airport on Sunday amid emotional scenes among players, their parents and loved ones.

They left for Brisbane on their way to Glasgow, Scotland, where the World Youth Netball Championships will be played from Aug 22-31.

They left Brisbane for Singapore last night and fly this morning via Amsterdam for Glasgow.

Under the guidance of coach Margaret Opina and Eka, the young women now face the task to improve on the 16th-place finish at the last World Youth Championships played in the Cook Islands.

Eka will be expected to lead her girls in a bid to topple pool rivals England and Singapore.

If they finish in the top two of their pool, they get the chance to advance to face defending champions Australia and other competition threats New Zealand and Scotland, who will be expected to top their pools.

But to do that these young women will have to fight for the right to move into the world’s top 10 netball playing nations.

Finishing third or fourth in their pool will only see the side being able to match the poor Cook Islands result.

PNG Netball president Julienne Leka-Maliaki said they faced a huge transition period as new legs take over from past national and aging incumbent players.

“It is one of our goals that we will improve our results after the World Youth Netball Championships and we are banking on this young bunch of girls to do the job,” Leka-Maliaki said.

The Junior Pepes picked up two Brisbane-based players in Winifred Parker, right, and Courtney Abel, left.

With England and Singapore are the Republic of Ireland and  Barbados, all of whom the Junior Pepes must beat. By now, shooting combinations have eased worries for coach Opina as she works on talented Jephat Tulapi, Kapa Mailia, Marypaul Buehler and Paruru Vaieke in the few remaining days before they take on Singapore in their first game on Aug 23.

Opina said two weeks ago things would work out because she believed she had a possible strong department of defenders and mid-courters to make the job easier for the shooters.

The World Youth Championships consists of the world’s 20 top world netball teams in four pools.

Pool A: Australia, Israel, Fiji, Namibia, South Africa. Pool B: Northern Ireland, Malta, New Zealand, Bermuda, Trinidad and  Tobago. Pool C: Scotland, Cayman Islands, Samoa, Jamaica, Wales. Pool D: Papua New Guinea, England, Republic of Ireland, Singapore, Barbados.

The team is: Margaret Eka (captain), Tau Galewa, Nerrie Adula, Marypaul Buehler, Edea Gamu, Paruru Vaieke, Shannah Dringo (vice-captain), Kimberly Rawali, Jephat Tulapi, Winifred Parker, Courtney Abel, Kapa Mailia. Margaret Opina (Coach), Oti Sarufa (Assistant Coach), Kori Toua (team manageress).