Dehaney praises Sunshine Girls chemistry ahead of Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Jamaica senior defender Kadie-Ann Dehaney says the mood inside the Sunshine Girls setup is excellent as the squad sharpens for this month’s Commonwealth Games Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.

The national side is wrapping a seven-day training stint in Durham, England, ahead of the Games, scheduled for July 23 through August 2. Jamaica will aim to improve on its landmark showing at the last Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, when the Sunshine Girls claimed the country’s first silver medal in the sport.

Dehaney, who lines up for West Coast Fever in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball League, said the squad has formed ties quickly and is putting in the work to develop on-court understanding before the competition opens.

“The vibes have been good so far in the camp. Since I arrived, I have met our new shooter, Azara (Wilmot), and other new English-born players, so we are just trying to build the vibes and chemistry in the team right now,” said Dehaney.

The defender, set for her second Commonwealth Games appearance, said she is approaching this campaign with a fresh outlook after the lessons of the past four years.

“I am feeling good going into my second Commonwealth Games, but I think that I am going to take a different approach this time around,” she stated. “The first time it was a bit hectic for me coming into the team, and I made a lot of transitions, but now I am more settled in with my off-court stuff, and coming from Perth where I had a really good year, I am now very focused on the task.”

She argued that Jamaica remains a genuine medal contender even with a reshaped attacking group.

“I think our chances are high. I think we are the unknown because the attack is very different, but I think you can’t count out a team with Romelda Aiken-George as the main shooter,” she said. “I think we just have to use her to our advantage. With Aiken-George and Shanice Beckford at the front, along with Nicole Dixon-Rochester in the middle, we can do well at the Commonwealth Games.”

Dehaney said she wants to keep her personal performance steady through the tournament, but her main goal is getting Jamaica back on the podium.

“For me, I would like to remain consistent and leave with a medal, but we would like to go all the way to the top,” she pointed out.

Looking back on her club campaign with West Coast Fever, she said she was satisfied with how the side recovered from early disruption to place near the top of the league.

“I was pleased with our performance, knowing that it was very hectic for us at the start as we had injuries all over the court. We started building halfway in the season, and to finish third was actually very good for us.”