FIJI Pearls head coach Michelle Parsons says consistency, fitness and mental toughness will be the main qualities selectors will look for as they finalise the national squad for upcoming international assignments.
Parsons made the comments following the latest national trials, highlighting the importance of preparing players for the demands of tournament netball ahead of the Netball World Cup qualifiers.
“For now, it’s literally consistency of skill, as well as the ability to get through tournament,” Parsons said.
The Pearls coach explained that tournament netball required players to maintain performance levels over several consecutive matches, unlike weekly local competitions.
“Tournament netball’s really different to one-day-a-week netball, so we’ll be testing the girls’ conditioning,” she said.
Parsons revealed the current training programme was heavily focused on improving the players’ physical conditioning and ability to consistently execute skills under pressure.
“We’re training six days a week, seven times a week, four conditioning blocks,” she said.
“So, the priority’s literally making sure we’ve got that physical robustness, as well as the consistency of skill execution.”
She also confirmed that the names of the players selected from the recent trials would be announced on Tuesday before training begins on Wednesday.
“The girls are all told to be ready, because if your name is called out, then we start training Wednesday night,” Parsons said.
