Simone McKinnis, coach of Australia's Under-21 netball team. - photo by Robert Bailey

Simone McKinnis, coach of Australia's Under-21 netball team, said Jamaica's Under-21s will be one of the favourites to win this year's World Youth Championships (WYC), which will be held in Cook Islands in August.

McKinnis made her assessment of the junior Sunshine Girls, following the Aussies' 3-0 series victory over the Jamaicans last week at the G.C. Foster College in St Catherine.

"There is no doubt that the Jamaicans are going to be a big threat at the World Youth Championships, because when you add Romelda Aiken to their group, they are certainly going to be one of the top teams in the competition," said McKinnis.

Great improvements

The Jamaicans went down 60-27 in the first match, 52-36 in the second and 55-39 in the last game.

However, McKinnis added that as the series went on, she saw a lot of improvements in the hosts' game.

"A lot of credit must go to the Jamaicans because I think that, as the series went on, they got better and I believe that they have showed a lot of potential within their side, as they finished the series quite well against us," she noted.

McKinnis added that, despite the defending champions New Zealand being the hot favourites to retain their title, any of the top four teams in the tournament can win.

"I think that New Zealand is the number one team going to the WYC. England is number three and Jamaica is one of the threats but I think that we are also up there," McKinnis said.

The Jamaicans were runners-up to the Australians at the Under-21 World Championships in Wales in 2000, but slipped to fourth place at the last competition in Florida four years ago, behind champions New Zealand, England and Australia.

Jamaica's Malaysha Kelly (right) holds the ball as she is defended by Australia's Andrea Gilmore (WA), while Courtney Tairi looks on during the final match of their three-Test series at the G.C. Foster College last Friday. The Aussies won 55-39. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer