By Phina Newton
During the recent PacificAus Sport Netball Series in Queensland a couple of teams were treated to a very special guest at their training sessions.
Origin Australian Diamonds head coach Stacey Marinkovich dropped in to visit the PNG and Samoan teams during their training sessions.
An integral part of the program is to create an environment that allows teams from the pacific islands access to some of the recourses Australia has to offer. After speaking to these coaches, Marinkovich was able to learn firsthand how difficult it can be for their teams, like how the PNG Pepes have multiple language groups to manage and converse with in their team.
Given Marinkovich has a wealth of insight to share and coaching knowledge to pass on, it only made sense to give these teams access to her insight.
Marinkovich was able provide some tools for the PNG and Samoa coaches to implement within their own groups.
“Connection and culture are key elements in creating an elite performance environment and is something both Froggie (Samoan head coach) and I value highly. We are both striving to create an environment of inclusion and belonging. The strength of the connection to culture was obvious throughout my experience with Samoa,” she said.
The Diamonds head coach paid a special visit to Samoa's training.“After working with Papua New Guinea this week, I gained a very fresh and clear perspective of what representing their country means to them.”
It’s not often that opposing nations join forces in sport, but through this experience Marinkovich was able to take a step back and reevaluate the bigger picture.
“Success can be measured in wins and losses, but that is only one part. Who you are, the journey you have taken, the obstacles you have overcome, and the relationships you build are what ensures that your country’s team is respected,” she said about her time with PNG,” she said.
“While we are always searching for a competitive advantage over other nations, it was nice to take the gloves off for a moment and connect with Samoa. I enjoyed the opportunity to share our learnings and embrace the insight and views of the Samoan team.”
Samoan Head Coach Frances Solia 'Froggie’ said they spoke in depth about team culture, and how to bring three different countries together in such a small space of time.
“We explored the challenges of constantly having a new squad for every tour and how to manage that and build a connection with limited time,” she said.
“I got some good ideas of what Stacey uses within her team. While the Diamonds are with each other more through either Suncorp (Super Netball) or training camps, I was able to modify some ideas to help make them ‘Samoan’.”
PNG Pepes Head Coach Gima Crowdy echoes Solia’s notion that their team also faces a number of unique challenges, including the fact she speaks three different languages when coaching her team.
“I speak three different languages when I coach, so she gave some hints to make sure that the message given to one group (at the same time) is the same message for the others,” she said.
The PNG coaches use three different languages when addressing players at training.The common theme from working alongside the Diamonds head coach, was putting a level of importance on connecting with players and focusing on making the most of what you have.
“The main things we applied was accountability, making the Samoan team accountable for their actions regardless of our preparation/time together, owning it,” Solia said.
"During this recent tour we had 10 new players, so you can imagine it was tough trying to build that rapport with them and trying to do that quickly without trying to suffocate them.
Solia said she told the squad that this was “a safe environment” where everyone has a voice.
"We want you (the team) to feel comfortable enough to express yourself," she said.
This was reiterated by Crowdy and her Pepes.
“One thing that stands out is to have a strong connection with players, wherever we are,” she said.
