Janz-Dawson on seizing the opportunity

By Stephanie Smarrelli
 

Former West Coast Fever player Josie Janz-Dawson was ready to take the helm when Netball WA came knocking earlier this year. 

A Torres Strait Islander woman from Erub, Janz-Dawson didn’t want to let this opportunity slip away. 

“I was excited to be approached to coach but there was a lot to consider due to the short turnaround,” Janz-Dawson said on agreeing to take the position. 

"I was excited the tournament was happening and there was an opportunity for players to represent the state.  

“The idea of the tournament was a long time coming, we've been waiting for opportunities. I thought, ‘why not?’. Here's an opportunity for me right now.”  

Janz-Dawson hopes to instil in her team the importance of taking their opportunities when they arise. 

"The exciting piece we can bring to these young girls playing right now is to remind them how rare opportunities are, and they need to take them when they're there,” she said. 

“And to ensure they’re leading healthy and positive lives, not only for ourselves and our families but future generations.” 

Being able to keep First Nations athletes in sport is a key factor in Janz-Dawson coaching in the space. 

And it’s these types of opportunities that give those players a taste of the elite level. 

“It’s a main driver for me continuing to coach in this space,” she said. 

Janz-Dawson touched on the big commitment athletes make to become an elite player and how opportunities like the First Nations Tournament give them a high-performance experience before they fully commit to it. 

“The commitment to being an elite athlete is a lot bigger than what a lot of people expect. A little taster tournament like this will help athletes decide whether this is something they want to continue to do and if they believe they do have great talent and want to continue there are netball systems, teams and structures in place to help them continue to develop,” she said. 

Janz-Dawson hopes above all else though, her WA First Nations Tournament team can build a sisterhood together. 
 
“I want to bring a little of my netball expertise as much as how important it is for us to be culturally connected to each other to build a sisterhood,” she said. 

“To have those continuing relationships beyond the netball court is what’s most important and it's important for First Nations netball teams as it is for football teams, cricket teams and any other sport. 

“I want to ensure the girls feel comfortable with me as a coach and have the confidence to go out there.” 

Janz-Dawson also touched on the importance of vulnerability and story sharing to bond the team. 

She acknowledged how it takes time to build connections and get to know one another, so she tasked the players with creating a slideshow presentation about themselves, including details of their family background and netball journey.  

"It was important because sometimes when we go, play and perform all you see is the hard athlete on the court and you forget we're all human. Using a bit of creativity to share with each other in a yarning space brought the team closer,” she said. 

"Then we had each player presented with their state netball dress by a family member at Kings Park. We had a local elder do a smoking ceremony, which was great she lit up the peppermint bushes and allowed us to walk through and ward off bad spirits and gave us a good blessing to go away and represent ourselves and our families and play strong.”  

On the court Janz-Dawson hopes the team will play their brand of netball. 

“We've got a lot of natural talent and flair, but it will be the same for every state and territory team we come across at the First Nations tournament, she said. 

“I’ve been reminding the girls they think they’re deadly but they’re going to play against deadly athletes too.” 

“For us it’s about cementing on court structures, how we want to move the ball down the court and putting them into practice. We get four10-minute quarters to go out and really show their connection and represent WA.” 

Janz-Dawson has been impressed throughout the team’s 14 training sessions with a handful of players. 

"Jamaica Jauncey coming off the back of playing in the Black Swans Australian team, she also plays in our state league. She's good, strong competition week in, week out so I always had the expectation she was going to come out and do a good job regardless of who she works with,” Janz-Dawson said.  

“Shaye Skraha is a great defender, there's so many easy intercepts she can take but what she does is comes off the body and takes the tips and chases. She turns over ball when it's least expected which is exciting because you're not waiting on the perfect opportunity and defensive pressure to be there, she creates those opportunities herself. 

“From end to end there'll be a lot of players stand out throughout each game, which is exciting.”  
 
When she’s away from the court, Janz-Dawson's passion for her First Nations community has led her into working for the Waalitj Foundation to encourage First Nations kids to stay in school. 

“We help communities through a variety of different funding models, but essentially it's encouraging Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander kids to be in school,” she said. 

“We bring mentors to school for the kids to have a yarn with checking in on wellbeing and if a child is having issues in the classrooms or with teachers there's someone who can help and advocate for them at the school. 

“One of our large programs is our Deadly Sister Girls, which is about empowering and enabling young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to get to year 12 and progress through career pathways after that.” 

The coach also touched on Netball WA’s Shooting Stars program and the important work they also carry out. 

“Netball WA have their link with Shooting Stars, which is a very similar program throughout Western Australia and we're quite lucky because in this space Netball WA has a lot of links and ties to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who could help this program go forward. We're quite lucky because Shooting Stars were able to back the program, do all the administration to make this happen for us,” she said. 

“It's exciting for us and WA because we have lots of different programs and organisations working in this space and I would love to see it in other states and territories.”  

Tune in to the First Nations Tournament live and on demand on KommunityTV.