Sunshine Girls defender Latanya Wilson is brimming with optimism about the prospects to come in 2025 as she reflects on her promising start to the year.
Wilson, who forms a fearsome defensive trio with stand-in captain Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Jodi-Ann Ward, again played an integral role in the Sunshine Girls opening 55-47 win over South Africa in the three-match Margaret Beckford Sunshine Series.
Not only did she produce some timely intercepts and deflections, but Wilson’s positioning and shrewd defensive acumen also forced the South African attackers into costly errors.
Wilson’s performance—one of the many standouts for the Sunshine Girls—follows a whirlwind 2024 that saw her juggle the demands of professional netball and completing her teaching practice as she is now channeling her energy into building on last year’s accomplishments.
“To be honest, last year was a tough year, but I'm really pleased with how things turned out,” Wilson told SportsMax.Tv.
“Winning back-to-back championships (with Adelaide Thunderbirds) in Australia, alongside managing my teaching practice and playing netball back home, made it a challenging but rewarding year. I think I can safely say winning that second title amidst the demands is my most significant milestone yet,” she added.
Despite the triumphs, Wilson acknowledges the sacrifices she had to make, particularly in balancing her studies with a professional career.
“I wouldn’t say there have been any major disappointments, though I do wish I could have dedicated more time to training. Balancing school and netball was difficult, and so I had to make some sacrifices in terms of training,” Wilson admitted.
Now with fewer external demands, Wilson is committed to improving her game. In fact, the 24-year-old has placed a renewed emphasis on the finer details, or as she calls them, the “1 percenters.”
“I'm really focusing on listening to my coach and working on the '1 percenters,' those small details that make a big difference. It's about consistency and improving in every area, no matter how small. So moving forward, I plan to build on the positives by staying focused on my training and refining my skills, and hopefully with that, I will continue to contribute to my club and country’s success,” she said.
Though speed, confidence and good timing are already rated as her strong suits, the versatile defender pointed out that she is experimenting with new elements in her game, and the results are encouraging.
“Individually, I’m working on some new aspects of my game, and it's coming along nicely, as you saw in the first game against South Africa. As a team, we're building great connections, but there's still a lot of room for growth. It's exciting to see how much potential we have, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series as we continue to improve,” the soft-spoke player noted.
Looking ahead, Wilson is clear about her objectives for 2025—securing another international series win with the Sunshine Girls before heading back to Adelaide with Sterling-Humphrey to push for a third Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) title on the trot.
“In order to achieve those goals, I have to keep focusing on the one percenters and continue pushing myself, no matter what position I’m playing. I aim to turn up my game up a notch, as the objective is to always be an invaluable asset for my club and country as we push for continued success,” Wilson ended.