Why Hinchliffe couldn’t say no

By Stephanie Smarrelli

Defender Tara Hinchliffe was comfortable up on the Sunshine Coast but as they say, life begins outside of your comfort zone.

The 27-year-old has packed her bags and headed south to the Mavericks for 2026, a decision she never expected to make at the start of the 2025.

“The contracting period for me this year was absolutely wild,” Hinchliffe said. 

“I wasn’t anticipating looking around but with a few changes happening at Lightning there was a little bit of unknown.

“I wasn't sure what was happening, so my manager put feelers out to see who might be around in case I needed other options." 

Unsure whether she wanted to join a new club, it took some convincing from a few key people before she signed on the dotted line. 

Her first conversation was with Mavericks General Manager Shae Bolton-Brown. The club’s direction excited her, but she confessed initially she thought she’d stay with Lightning.

But following the call, she couldn’t shake one nagging feeling; excitement. 

“After the call I felt really energised, I really believe in what the club is trying to do outside of netball,” Hinchliffe said.

“They had some great ideas and want to think outside the box to see netball in a new way rather than a super traditional way. 

“It was the first time I thought, ‘is this something I should actually be looking into?’”

From there, Assistant Coach Nicole Richardson (Richo) stepped in and sold the vision further. 

"She's a great coach and a great person,” Hinchliffe said. 

“We had a really good chat about where I could grow and challenge myself as a player and a person.”

Another perk to joining the Mavs is the insight Richo can provide into the Origin Diamonds environment.

"It's exciting to work with her and know she has strategies they're learning at camp and a bit of intel on all the players, which is really helpful,” Hinchliffe said.

While Hinchliffe hasn’t closed the door on returning to the Diamonds after making her green and gold debut in 2023, her focus is squarely on the Mavs.

“I never want to say never; it's such an exciting opportunity to be in that environment,” she said.

“It really does push you to be your best but for me the biggest thing is to give everything I can to my club.

“I'm all in with the Mavs and that's my sole focus to try and bring some success here, get into finals and win that premiership.” 

While the club staff did plenty to sell her on the Mavericks, it was those closest to her who gave her the confidence to take the leap.

One of her best friends is Mavericks’ defender Kim Brown who is flourishing at the club.

“Kim and I speak multiple times a week, so I knew she was having a really great time and believed in the club,” Hinchliffe said.

“I really care about her and trust her judgement; she sold the dream.”

Brown and her husband Zach were quick to welcome Hinchliffe to Melbourne.

“It was really great to stay with them and have my people around while I was settling in,” she said.

“Now I've moved into my own place in Elwood, it's got a spare room because all my friends and family reckon they're going to come down and stay.”

Speaking of family, she's parted ways with her twin sister Maddie after spending the last two seasons up on the Sunshine Coast together. 

Having spent some time in Melbourne herself, Maddie had plenty of advice.

"Her biggest piece of advice was to get out and make the most of being somewhere new,” Hinchliffe said.

“When she was here, she was working pretty hard away from netball and then had netball so regrets not being able to get out and explore as much.
 
"I've definitely made the most of that in my first month here, we've already had a couple of trips. It's been great to see more of Melbourne and Victoria.

“It’s a reminder that life is bigger than netball here.”

Hinchliffe confessed her sister’s positive experience made moving more appealing.

"She knew all the hotspots and great places she'd been to, so she knew I'd enjoy it,” she said.

“It was comforting to know she'd been here and loved it. 

"For a minute, I was like, ‘you should move, come down with me’ but we're both excited to have a year of being our own person again.” 

Maddie gave Tara a list of must-visit spots , including Armadale’s High Street and her Elwood beach.

But the twins have made up a rule for when Maddie comes to visit.

"We can't go to anywhere she's been before,” Hinchliffe said.

“That will force us to explore new places.” 

The pair enjoyed one last adventure before Tara’s move, a trip to New Zealand they dubbed “the farewell tour”.

“When we booked it, I had no idea I'd be moving,” Hinchliffe said.

“We had the absolute best time and felt really recharged, ready to go for a new season. 

 “We did a lot of hiking; Isthmus Peak was really challenging and one of the hardest things we've had to do.

“We had to use that self-talk to get each other up the hill but seeing the stunning views made it one of the most memorable moments of the trip.

“In Queenstown it felt like we were doing things every day. It was really exciting to try different activities like luges."

While she’ll miss her sister, friends and family up in Queensland, Hinchliffe admitted there are some perks to moving to Melbourne.

“The weather has actually been quite nice, my expectations were low,” she said.

“On the Coast, those girls have to train before 7am to get out of the heat, whereas here it doesn't matter what time of the day we start.” 

She always wanted to challenge herself with an interstate move at some stage but leaving the Sunny Coast hasn’t been easy.

“The girls on the Coast are some of my closest friends, but I've landed in a good spot to keep those relationships and make new ones down here.”

She’s grateful to have another familiar face joining her in Melbourne; former Lightning teammate Reilley Batcheldor. 

“I’d heard whispers she might be down here as well,” Hinchliffe said recalling the signing period.

“My conversations were later, so I knew she was looking at it and unfortunately for her she's followed me around and I've followed her for a few years now.

“We're really comfortable with each other as teammates, I was excited for her to move and knew it was something she was excited to do. 

“It's nice to know you've got another familiar face in a new environment, she's going to be an amazing player.

“With her down the other end of the court I have a lot of confidence that we can have a really great year, which was definitely a drawcard to come.”

Touching on familiar teammates, Hinchliffe delved into how her connection with Brown also shaped her decision-making. 

"We had the best time at the Firebirds and in the Queensland programs together, but I wanted to make sure she would be okay if I came,” she said. 

“It's similar to when I moved to Lightning and Maddie was already there, I didn't want to come in and step on her toes.

 “I’m always thinking about the team, I can make a selfish decision, but I want to make sure it's the right fit for the team that are already there.”

She’s looking forward to being back on court with her partner in crime.

“I had some chats with Kim about what it would look like to play together, we're both really excited for what it could be because it felt so good playing together when we were younger,” she said.

“It will take some time to get that connection back after a few years and there's going to be challenges.

“You've got to be aware of that when you're friends with someone in the same sort of position. 

“We don't know what the lineup is going to look like but we're both adults and excited for what it could look like whether we're out there together or rotating.”

With a month in Melbourne under her belt, Hinchliffe has been getting stuck into getting to know her new teammates.

“They're such great group of girls,” she said.

“We've been lucky in a way that we've had the bulk of our group together. 

"It's a credit to the club and the players because everyone's been so welcoming and there's a good mix of girls who've lived in Melbourne their whole life or have been here for a long time.

“They've been great at getting us new girls together and making sure we've got things to do away from netball. I can't speak more highly of them as people.” 

With changes across the squad while the group is gelling off the court, Hinchliffe is under no illusion that the on-court connections may not form quite as quick. 

“There's obviously been a couple of us who've made some big moves interstate and want to make sure the girls who are already here feel like this is their team,” she said.

“We want to come in and fit in with how they're going but also work on the places we can build and grow together as a club. 

“It's foolish to say that it won't take some time to find those connections especially with Jamie and Amy being out of the program in the Diamonds environment.

“But we’ve got a good level of experience, and the mix means we'll be able to meet in the middle and put together something exciting next year.”

Hinchliffe is thrilled to be joining the Mavs in the club's third season.

"They’ve had a really great first couple of years while they were finding their feet,” she said.

“Now they're ready to look forward and have a long-term plan of what they want the club to look like. 

“They've learned lessons in their first couple of years off the court in terms of the way the club is going to be working but also on court.

“They've worked out what they want their team to look like and their style of play, it's exciting.”

Addressing the elephant in the room, Hinchliffe commended the club for how they’ve helped the girls get down to business in the pre-season despite the side not having a head coach on the ground yet.

“The first part of pre-season is more about the strength and conditioning, so we probably didn't notice it too much,” she said.

“The existing staff have done such a great job of making it in a way we haven't noticed which is great and we’ve only just returned to the court now that Richo is back from the Diamonds. 

“The club has done a great job of setting us up for success regardless and obviously there's questions and everyone would love to know where it's sitting but we're in such a strong position.

“We've got so many people around us that we're really confident and will be prepared whenever we can have that coach come in.”

Returning to basics, the team has been focused on building their strength as a unit.

"We've only just started touching the netball again over the last couple of weeks,” she said.

“You don't realise how long you haven't touched a ball until you start to do it again, we’re working on simple things like knowing where to pass for each person.

“We’re working on getting those things right and setting the standards for what we want to look like on court and in the gym.

“I can’t credit this team enough for how hard they push themselves and push each other.”

Fast forwarding to when the season begins in March, Hinchliffe can’t wait to come up against everyone following a busy signing period.

"I didn’t expect how many changes there would be,” she said.

“There’s a lot of exciting new and international talent coming onto the scene, every team is sort of new and different.”

While the 27-year-old is keen to go head-to-head with some fresh international talent she acknowledged what it means for pathway athletes. 

"I'm passionate about looking where the league wants to go and making sure we still have spots for Australian talent to come through,” she said.

“I probably wouldn't have had my opportunity as early as I did if we had as many international players as we have now, but it cemented SSN as the best league in the world. 

“And that's really exciting for where netball is in Australia and internationally.

“Some teams have more international flavour than others, so it'll be interesting to see where everyone lands and how it looks once all the teams get their international players back because no one's got their full squad at the moment.” 

 At the prospect of lining up against her old side, Hinchliffe is counting down the days.

“It can be daunting coming up against a club that you've left,” she said.

“But that Sunny Coast community has been so supportive, when I left and had to share that news, I was a little bit scared about how people might react, but they were nothing but supportive. 

“I can't wait to be back in front of that crowd.” 
 

Photos supplied by Tara Hinchliffe.