SINGAPORE, June 4 ― National head coach Ruth Aitken got the exact reply she wanted from her charges yesterday as Singapore’s netballers bounced back from their draw against arch rivals Malaysia with a resounding victory over the Philippines.

Singapore, who are the reigning Asian Champions, played a consistent game and put the ball into the net almost routinely against the Philippines and took the game 84-12.

It was a stark contrast to the game on Tuesday against SEA Games defending champions Malaysia, where Singapore led for three-quarters of the match only to throw the game away in the final 15 minutes and draw 35-35.

“The scoreboard said it all. I think we delivered on consistency ― something I haven’t seen before (in this tournament). Hopefully we can maintain that consistency and just ready ourselves for the finals,” said Aitken.

In yesterday’s other fixture, Malaysia beat Brunei 82-24, as Malaysia’s chef-de-mission Norza Zakaria said he is confident that they can achieve the gold medal target set by Malaysia’s National Sports Council director-general Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, who is eager to justify netball’s inclusion for the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

“If we take gold, it will be have a very big impact back home as it can spur the development of netball in Malaysia, and they can be the icons of all the younger generation of netballers at home.” ― Today