National netballer Nicole Aiken. - Contributed

International netball returns to the National Indoor Sports Centre this evening.

Jamaica's Sunshine Girls face Trinidad and Tobago in the opening match of the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Sunshine Savers Tri-nation netball series starting at 7:00 p.m. with a pre-game show set for 6:00 p.m.

The coaches of both teams expect good performances from their teams today.

"The team is pretty confident and the girls are rearing to go because they have been working really hard and they are now in a situation where they are prepared to be the champions in this series," said Annette Daley, assistant coach of the Sunshine Girls.

Daley added that the series is very important because it is part of their continuous preparation.

"We are not worried about them (T&T), but we have respect for their players and once you enter the court, we will have to acknowledge that these are our opponents and they are coming to win and we have to make sure that we do our best," said Daley.

The Sunshine Girls, who are ranked number four in the world, captured the bronze medal, beating England in the third-place play-off, at the last World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand.

However, they later slipped to fourth place as they were beaten 3-0 in a series against England.

The team, to be led by goal attack Simone Forbes, also includes four members of Jamaica's Under-21 squad, which is currently preparing for the 2009 World Youth Championships. They are Christina Solmon, Vanessa Walker, Sateva Taylor and Malysha Kelly.

Top goal shooter

The other players are prolific goal shooter Romelda Aiken, who recently returned to the island after a four-month stint in New Zealand, playing in the semi-professional league for the Queensland Firebirds, where she was voted the top goal shooter of the tournament. She is joined by Althea Byfield, Paula Thompson, Nicole Aiken, Sabrina Spence and Tracey-Ann Robinson.

Meanwhile Bridger Adams, coach of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), who are ranked at eight in the world, said they are looking forward to playing against the Jamaicans.

"We are very confident because we played against the Jamaicans in the AFNA (Americas Federations of Netball Association) and so we know what to expect from them," said Adams.

"We have been practicing very hard to counteract their style of play but they have an advantage where their shooters are much taller than our defenders," she said.

Adams added that her team's preparations have been hampered by injuries to a number of their key players, who were unable to make the trip.

T&T will be depending heavily on their experienced trio of captain Rhonda John-Davis, Anastacia Wilson and Janelle Barker who have all played in the World Championships.

The series continues tomorrow with Jamaica opposing South Africa. Entrance fees for all matches are - $500 for adults and children, $100.