PETALING JAYA: Johor Jewels’ Sri Lankan netball player Gayani Dissanayake (pic) believes that allowing foreign players to feature in the Netball Super League is a gem of a move.
Gayani is one of two foreigners, along with Thailand’s Sirima Samnaree, roped in by the Johorean side captained by Pow Mei Foong for the competition.
She decided to join Johor Jewels after receiving an invitation from Mei Foong, who also happens to be a close friend, four months before the league started.
“Johor Jewels made a good move by bringing in foreign players. Joining them is an amazing experience as I used to play against them in a few tournaments and this is my first time playing with them as a team,” she said.
Gayani added that playing in the Netball Super League is part of her preparations for the Asian Netball Championships which will be held in Singapore from Sept 4-11.
“I chose the Netball Super League because it is now one of the main tournaments in Asia and I get to play with national players of different countries.
“I think the sport can develop in Malaysia and I’m amazed to see that Malaysia has many more facilities compared to Sri Lanka. We don’t have netball courts and media support like what they have here,” she said.
Despite just two weeks of practice with the team, Gayani has adapted well and contributed in the 68-24 win over Melaka Mystic at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara.
As the goal keeper, Gayani proved her ability by making seven interceptions and four defensive rebounds in the match.
Johor Jewels managed to convert 76% of 90 attempted goals while Melaka Mystic have a 62% goal conversion rate out of 39 tries.
In the next round, Johor Jewels will play KL Wildcats at the Juara Stadium and in order to have a better understanding of her opponents, Gayani is watching videos of their matches.
“I’ve come up with a game plan after studying them,” she said.
RESULTS
KL Wildcats bt Perak Phoenix 61-30; Johor Jewels bt Negri Sembilan Venom 62-26; Johor Jowels bt Melaka Mystic 68-24; KL Wildcats bt Kedah Sunshine 75-41.
