DEFENDING champions CC Sparrows have started off their 2026 Port Moresby Netball Association (PomNA) Round 1 campaign on a high note, recording a 55-43 victory over Enviro Telstars on Saturday.
The premier division opening match kicked-off at 1pm at the Rita Flynn, that saw the crowd taking their seats around the court to witness Telstars and Sparrows set the stage for the other two premier matches later on.
Sparrows inserted their dominance in the first quarter with senior players Jacklyn Lahari and Neritha Adula taking leads in the midcourt and defence areas that guided the game to have their side in full control of the game leading 16-12 by the end of the opening quarter.
Second quarter came with Sparrows still in charge stepping up on their attacking game with coach Julian Leka-Maliaki trying out different combinations with new players inserted to carry the team forward.
Sparrows were still ahead of Telstars (29-22) heading into the halftime break.
By the end of the third quarter, the scoreline extended to 44-32 with Telstars playing catch-up to the giants who have secured a comfortable lead and switched their focus to getting those turnovers right in defense until fulltime.
Leka-Maliaki admitted on expecting fumbles here and there in their first game and it was also good to see where the girls are currently standing in terms of their fitness levels and skills so plans on how to improve in these departments can be sorted out going forward.
“It was good to finally get back on the court for this opening match which the girls picked up their rhythm more into the second and third quarters but there’s still a lot of improvements in all departments to work on during the week,” she said.
Leka-Maliaki added the goal for this season is to get another premiership title not only for the premier team but also for other divisions – that’s why a lot of young players were brought into the club for this season.
For Sparrows, the focus now will be on coming up with right combinations for every quarter of a game because most of the girls are new except for Lahari and Adula, whom are still playing to provide the team’s foundation on court, nurture and mentor the younger players.
Leka-Maliaki said as long as the combinations are right, fitness will naturally come.
