SINGAPORE – A new era of Singapore netball arrived on Saturday, as a young team filled with potential delivered a championship performance at the Mirxes Nations Cup.
The Republic, facing a Papua New Guinea side to whom they had lost 52-50 in the tournament opener, exacted revenge as they prevailed 59-56 against the same opponents in the final at the OCBC Arena.
This was Singapore’s third title but first since the 2007 edition. They also won the inaugural competition in 2006.
Goal-shooter Amandeep Kaur Chahal said the victory will hold “a special place in my heart”.
The 23-year-old, who converted 44 of 50 goal attempts, added: “I think the coaches have done a really good job bringing up the developmental team and prepared us really well.
“The younger players have also been to the World Cup and are a lot better than they were two years ago. We are a newer, younger generation that have been brought up to represent Singapore.”
She was one of four players in the starting line-up aged 24 and under. The other three are 27.
The changing of guard for the national team was also emphasised by Charmaine Soh, 32, who announced her international retirement following the tournament’s conclusion.
Goalkeeper Jamie Lim, 23, credited the guidance of veterans like Soh, who shaped them into better players. She said: “We definitely want to continue to be up there, not just in Asia but also to get to the world stage, and show them who we are as a Singapore team.
“This (title) is amazing, like we know we can do it but this helps us to kick off, which tells us we can push ourselves even further.”
The opening 15 minutes were nervy and close as the Papuans ended the quarter with an 18-16 lead. But the hosts kept their composure and changed the momentum of the match during a four-minute spell in the second period.
They scored seven points in succession and went into half-time with a 35-26 advantage. After three quarters, they widened the gap to 48-37 and, despite a late fightback from the visitors (outscoring Singapore 19-11 in the final quarter), held on to prevail.
Singapore head coach Annette Bishop, who clinched her first title since taking charge in 2019, lauded her players.
She said: “It was a hard-fought game and we knew that it was always going to be a tough battle, but I’m just so proud of our whole team for what they put out today.
“I’m still taking it all in. It was all about the team putting in a great performance and, even when PNG got a little ahead of us, we stayed on track.”
The New Zealander cited the formation of the Singapore A team, a developmental side, in 2020 as a key factor in nurturing their youth players. She added: “If you look at Singapore A, it’s been great to have them play against all the different styles as well.
“So it’s just minimising that step up and having that smooth transition from the development side into the opens (first) team.”
Earlier on Saturday, Singapore A clinched fifth spot with a 55-48 win over Sri Lanka while Cook Islands edged out Canada 49-48 for the bronze medal.
Soh, meanwhile, steps away comforted by her belief that the national team is in a good place.
“The players in this team, they’re all very vibrant and very encouraging. Everyone on the team is a team player. So there’s no individual and no ‘I’ in the team. That’s something really good,” she said.
“I feel that they will continue to build on this and win the bigger competitions.
“The future of Singapore netball is in very safe hands.”
