National netball coach Thilaka Jinadasa only wants players with 100 per cent commitment to the cause this year.
The message from the Sri Lankan was simple: if you do not want it bad enough, then you should not be in the team.
"Coming from a country where the standard of the sport is at the international level (Sri Lanka), I am not satisfied with the level of commitment given by the players in 2013," said the coach in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.
"The players are quite talented but commitment is something that they really need to work on if they are to be a part of the team.
"And at the same time, I also would like any concerned parties to help support and encourage all these players as it is one way to help to enhance the level of the sport in the country.
"Overall we have improved slowly over the year, but we still need to work very hard to be able to stand among the region's bests," added the former Sri Lanka national team coach.
While the country's netball still has a long way to go, 2013 proved to be a great year for them as they made significant strides.
The highlight of the year was the 8th edition of the Asian Youth Netball Championship 2013 in July, where the country managed to finish sixth in the 10-team competition after losing 53-34 to Thailand in the battle for fifth.
The highlight of the year was the 8th edition of the Asian Youth Netball Championship 2013 in July, where the country managed to finish sixth in the 10-team competition after losing 53-34 to Thailand in the battle for fifth.
The eight-day tournament that was hosted by the Brunei Darussalam Netball Association (BNA) featured countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Nepal, Maldives, Thailand, India, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka.
The 10 teams were divided into two groups of five. Group A consisted of Brunei, India, Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia while, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Nepal and Maldives were in Group B.
The hosts opened their campaign on a high note after beating Japan 48-26 but lost 38-34 to Hong Kong in their second game.
They bounced back with a 56-30 triumph over India before thrashing Maldives 82-18 the next day.
However, they were denied a spot in the semi-final spot after losing 50-19 to four-time champions Malaysia.
Sri Lanka were crowned champions after defeating Malaysia 59-50 in the final.
Singapore defeated Hong Kong 57-27 to finish third in the tournament while India went past Maldives 63-26 to finish seventh.
Japan and Nepal finished ninth and tenth respectively.
The national team also competed in a netball tournament in Singapore in May, where they notched six wins, one draw and one loss. After returning from the tournament they competed in the VIII Setia Motors Netball Championship and won the event with ease after dominating local netball club Ivy League 48-12 in the final.
The national team prevented all their opponents from getting into double digits in all their group games and semi-final match ups.
Last year also saw 11 local netball umpires receive their badge ranking certificates.
It was organised by the BNA together with the Department of Youth and Sports as a part of the country's long-term development programme for netball umpires.
The badging system is in line with the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) Umpire Development programme.
The certificate allows Bruneian umpires to officiate netball matches outside the country in the future.
The workshop tackled umpire protocol, techniques, conflict and injury management, application of rules in action, a discussion about umpire discipline and practical evaluations.
In the same month, 60 teachers from 20 schools in the country completed a netball workshop organised by the Department of Youth and Sports' Sports Coaching and Development Unit with the help of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the BNA.
The main goal of the programme was to educate the teachers in both theory and practical so that they can provide their students the basics they need to help them excel in the sport. "Girls enjoy playing netball so we can't dismiss the basics when it's a sport they enjoy. It is our responsibility as Physical Education teachers to come here and gain knowledge to teach our students," said one of the teachers.
