Delaine Mentoor is the current South African women’s head coach. Her appearance at the Tokyo Olympic games made her the first ever female head coach to lead a team at an Olympic Games. Mentoor’s record-breaking South Africa were also the first African women’s team to appear at an Olympic Games.
A fine player herself, the 28-year-old also coaches many of South Africa’s younger age group teams. In September, she won the Coach of the Year award at the Momentum sport Awards, Johannesburg.
Delaine Mentoor’s Top 5 of 2021
1. Ashleigh Johnson (USA)
US National Player | Clubs: NC Vouliagmeni | Position: Goalkeeper
She had an incredible Olympic final denying 12 saves from 17 shots- the goal deficit between the two teams in the final is a testament to her stellar performance. She equally deserves to be here for her contributions on attack, and what I mean by that is her meticulous passes and placing of the ball allowed for plays to roll out effortlessly.
2. Elena Ruiz (ESP)
Spanish National Player | Clubs: CN Rubi | Position: Left Driver
16 years old but her strength lies in her maturity in her play. The ability to read the game and beat her defender to execute and beat her field players with her shot- it is so precise and well calculated. She has just gotten better from tournament to tournament this year.
3. Maud Megens (NED)
Dutch National Player | Club: USC Trojans | Position: Left Driver
Building from her performance at the 2019 FINA World League Super Final, another player who has just kept the momentum and has had an incredible year in both her college and national team.
4. Rebecca Parkes (HUN)
Hungarian National Player | Club: Ethnikos | Position: Centre-forward
Rebecca’s contribution to the Hungarian teams performance is notable, besides her near impossible, history making goal in the last seconds of their pool game vs the USA she also managed two other goals against the best team in the world in the same match making it a hattrick for the centre forward. Her strength in the centre forward position forces the opposition to adjust their defense to her style of play and yet she still manages to upset even the strongest defenders. I look forward to seeing her performance in 2022.
5. Hannah Buckling (AUS)
Australian National Player | Clubs: Sydney University | Position: Center Back
Outstanding defender. A mobile centre back moving 2m to 2m, combined with her unbelievable strength and strategic movement allows her to physically outplay most centre forwards. Her ability to find the opening in the goals is underestimated and her finishing is pure strength and technique.
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