Menlopark ready for Super 12 challenge
Die Hoërskool Menlopark’s players are excited and raring to go at the Fairtree Super 12 Tournament. The Pretoria side won’t be there to make up the numbers. They have their sights set on the title.
The event runs from 7-9 August at Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje (Oranje), in Bloemfontein.
“The Super 12 is the cherry on top. It’s the creme de la creme,” Brad Brook, the Menlopark coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“It’s the toughest one in the country, in my opinion. We’re very excited to go toe-to-toe with the best hockey schools in the country. We look forward to the challenge,”
Menlopark, who lifted the prestigious trophy in 2018, will launch their campaign for a second title with a fixture against Collegiate Girls’ High. Drawn in Pool B, they’ll also face Our Lady of Fatima, Paarl Gimnasium, DSG Makhanda, and St Anne’s Diocesan College.
The Pretoria side has proved itself to be a powerhouse in the Northern Gauteng region, and this season they’ve won 42 out of 49 matches, drawn one, and lost only six. Brook’s charges have maintained their consistency across the board – in league matches, and festivals and tournaments.
At the Super 12, Menlopark will be aiming to tap into the form they showed during the second term, which included a 2-0 win over their rivals and fellow Super 12 qualifiers, Hoërskool Waterkloof.
Any team that underestimates or is under the misapprehension that the ladies from Pretoria will be rusty and lacking match practice would be making a big mistake. The St Anne’s Cup champions have been hard at work, ensuring that they remain sharp with matches against a handful of club sides and the Menlopark boys’ teams as part of their preparations.
“It’s a tough competition, but we are determined to be competitive. We won’t look too far ahead and will take things one game at a time,” Brook said.
His side will lean on the experience, skill, and knowledge of the trio of Zoe Badenhorst, Annika Kloppers, and Monique Gerber, who were picked for higher honours after the SASHOC National Weeks. Badenhorst, one of the side’s co-captains, was called up to the SA u18B side, while Kloppers was selected for the u17 team, and Gerber was included in the SA u16B lineup.
While their national representatives add immense value to the team, Menlopark’s biggest asset is their ability to play as a single unit. Brook’s side has numerous players who will reach milestone at the Super 12, most notably, Badenhorst, Ininke Human, Zane Loots, Mika Loots, and Ameli Dirkse van Schalkwyk, who will all earn their 100th caps at the event.
“We are quite excited as a team to share those milestones at this upcoming tournament. I don’t think we’ve had players reaching 100 caps in a while, so we’re quite excited about that,” Brook enthused.
The time spent in each other’s company, competing for the same goal, has helped Menlopark to bond.
“They’ve come together nicely, and they’re raring to go out there and have a good showing,” Brook said. “As I mentioned earlier, it’s a really tough tournament, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. The girls just want to show what they’re made of.”
