By Stephanie Smarrelli
Three-time SSN premiership player Laura Scherian knows a thing or two about winning Grand Finals.
Scherian has experienced success in very different ways, from helping build the Sunshine Coast Lightning from the ground up to back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 to ending her career with Adelaide Thunderbirds' 2024 premiership.
Looking back, Scherian says each triumph holds a special place for different reasons, but all were built on one common foundation.
"Connection and enjoyment," she said.
"All teams in SSN work hard, but you can see when teams are really connected on that underlying level that goes above everyone else.
"That's what I felt at both premiership clubs.
“The teams were connected on a different level."
As the Melbourne Vixens chase back-to-back premierships this weekend, Scherian can relate to the challenge.
She remembers how former Lightning coach Noeline Taurua removed the weight of expectation during the club's title defence in 2018.
"Noeline was something else," Scherian said.
"The way she broke down our season and the process of being in a Grand Final was really special.
"She broke the season into different phases and leading into finals was called 'the enjoyment phase'.
Lightning won back-to-back premierships in 2017 and 2018.
"It took the pressure off and the focus shifted to enjoying the opportunity and the experience we earned rather than stressing about the outcome.
"That sense of calmness and composure allowed us to play really freely in those finals."
It was a philosophy that proved invaluable during a season where the Lightning had every reason to feel the pressure.
While defending a premiership comes with heightened expectations, Scherian says the club's two Grand Final runs couldn't have been more different.
The inaugural title remains especially meaningful.
"The first Grand Final was something completely new for me,” she said,
“I'd never experienced anything like it before.
"There were a lot of unknowns and as a foundation club, there was something really special about building the culture from day one and then seeing it lead to a premiership.
"We were incredibly fortunate to have such experienced players as well — the likes of Geva Mentor, Caitlin Bassett and Laura Langman — who had been in those big moments before.
"Their calmness was contagious; they knew what to do.
"As did our coaches and support staff. They brought a real element of experience to our finals campaign, even the ones who had come from other sports, they helped keep us grounded and connected as a group."
If 2017 was about embracing the unknown, 2018 was about resilience.
Lightning were the first team to win a SSN premiership.
"The 2018 Grand Final was completely different because we had started the season with three losses in a row," she said
"A lot of people had ruled us out of finals contention and the finals process was such a long one.
"We didn't have any home games during finals and had to really grind it out and then winning in Perth was different again."
Years later, Scherian found herself writing the final chapter of her career in Adelaide.
Unlike her first title, this one carried the emotion of knowing it would be her last game.
"It was quite nostalgic because I knew it was going to be my final game," she said.
"It was a season I'll always be grateful for because it could have finished very differently if I'd not been given that opportunity to play in Adelaide.
"As an adult you don't feel really excited and nervous about something very often and when I got offered the contract, I was so nervous about the thought of moving away from home, but I was so excited about the opportunity.
"It was a group of people who made me feel incredibly valued for what I could contribute and they allowed me to give in a meaningful way.
"The Grand Final win was just the icing on the cake."
The Thunderbirds also left Scherian with a renewed appreciation for coaching and player development.
What struck her most wasn't just the team's talent, but its maturity.
Scherian was grateful for her final year with the Thunderbirds.
"They're such a young group but they're so wise for their age," she said.
"They've played a lot of netball and they're smart.
“I think it comes from those South Australian development pathways, the connection they have to the Thunderbirds, their development programs and their training partners are so strong because they play against each other week in, week out."
She is equally complimentary of premiership coach Tania Obst.
"She is such a smart woman when it comes to netball," Scherian said.
"She's also extremely kind and connected to her players and her passion shines through, but the coaching group as a whole is so smart.
"When I came back from Adelaide, I said I hadn't learned that much in a year as a player before.
"That was really cool, especially being a more experienced player, that I learned so much in one year."
One lesson in particular has stayed with her.
"Defensively as a midcourter they really use the players' unique skills," she said.
"They bring them in and connect them rather than teaching everyone the same thing.
“They say, 'you can do it this way, and you'll get the same outcome because of the type of skills you have.'
Scherian learned a lot in her one year with the Thunderbirds.
"That was really cool to watch and being a coach myself now, it's something I bring into how I coach, using everyone's unique skills together and planning around individuals rather than a set game plan."
Now, as her former club prepares for their third Grand Final appearance in four years, Scherian expects another fiercely contested decider.
Having come up against the Vixens in the 2024 Grand Final she knows how difficult they are to overcome.
"They're just so consistent," she said.
"They're drilled and skilled with what they do.
“There's so much precision in the way they play and that's really hard to break down and stop."
While she'll be cheering on her former Thunderbirds teammates, Scherian believes one battle could decide the premiership.
"Both teams have such strong goal attacks that really control a lot of the play," she said.
"So the goal defences will have a really big impact on the Grand Final.
"If they can shut down those goal attacks' connections in the circle and the midcourt, that's where the game will be won and lost."
As Suncorp Super Netball celebrates its 10th season, Scherian touched on how the league continues to reach new heights.
For her, the biggest evolution has been the fearless emergence of young talent.
Scherian believes this year's Grand Final will come down to the battle between the goal attacks and goal defences.
"The young talent that comes through has impressed me the most," she said.
"How they've been able to handle the expectations and they’ve come in as a starting seven player and put their best out on court.
"The fact there's so many young girls getting in those positions now is really awesome, firstly that they're getting the opportunities and secondly that they're standing up and delivering.
"The skill level, the strength, the speed and the excitement of the game just continues to grow and that's why people love coming to watch."
