I wanted to prove critics wrong says coach Saenda
by Mphatso Malidadi - Saturday, November 15, 2008 - 11:03:29

Celebrated netball coach Griffin Saenda has revealed that he accepted to take charge of Escom Sisters to prove that he was a result oriented coach.

Saenda said the remarks after steering youthful Escom Sisters to the glory of the Toyota national netball trophy championship.

Escom defeated MTL Queens 43-38 to win their first ever title since the club was established in 2005.

The coach said a section of the netball fraternity had been de-campaigning him whenever he was engaged with national team.

“Whenever the national team does well, some try to downplay my achievements on lame excuses,” the coach said. “Some say the national team does well because of the presence of skilful and experienced players.

“I accepted to coach Escom because it gave me the opportunity to prove my critics wrong. I started with the players from the scratch and I fine tuned them to this level.”

Saenda said by winning the trophy it showed that he could work with any kind of team and get desirable results.

The seasoned trainer boosted that wherever he had coached he got astonishing results.

He cited his stint with Tigresses where he won all domestic titles and also earned international respect after guiding the side to win the East and Central clubs championship.

Saenda, who launched his coaching career at defunct Silver nets before moving to Civonets, said he was eyeing to claim a double this season with Escom.

“My first target was to win at least one championship. Now that I have completed the first assignment, it’s time I set a new target.

“I am now focusing on clinching at least the Real Insurance League,” he said.
Saenda said if he wins the league then he will set another record.

“Possibly I might look for the Standard Bank as well. But as of now am concentrating on the league,” he said.

Currently, Escom and MTL Queens are chasing each other neck to neck.

“We are still unbeaten in the league and if we play our cards well, we can add another title. However, I am not under pressure to get another title because we already have one,” Saenda said.

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