Wildcats’ inspiring PNG visit

By Elizabeth Winter

The Brisbane South Wildcats have gone international, this time to Papua New Guinea.

The premier league team, based in Queensland, travelled to Port Moresby to play a friendly three-match series against the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Pepes.

Hosted by Netball PNG, the series was designed to showcase athleticism and sportsmanship between the two countries and was supported by the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports program.

The event was highly anticipated, attracting the largest crowd Netball PNG has experienced at the Sir John Guise Indoor Stadium, with more than 900 people showing up to watch the three games.

The tour focused on building and strengthening connections with Australian and Pacific teams, improving performance through high quality match play, training, and providing insights to a high-performance environment for upcoming athletes. 

PNG Pepes athlete Michaela Kadlecek commented on the significance of bringing Australian-based and PNG-based Pepes athletes together to gain high-performance competition experience.

“Competitions like this are important for us, it’s an opportunity for us to come together and trial combinations but also to get to know each other on a personal level,” Kadlecek said.

“It feels like there’s no separation between the Australian-based and PNG-based athletes, we are one team.

“This experience helps prepare us for competitions like the PacificAus Sports Netball Series.”

ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT

The series offered both teams invaluable exposure to different playing styles and strategies, this helped the players adapt to varied tactics and improved their versatility on the court.

Head Coach of the Brisbane South Wildcats Joeanne Hope commented on the demands of international tours, differing playing conditions, and the challenge of adjusting to new environments.

“The Wildcats were tested on their mental resilience and their ability to adapt to various situations,” Hope said.

“While I benefited as a coach by having to analyse the different styles of play, strengths, and weaknesses of the PNG Pepes.

“Moving forward, we will continue to use the lessons learned from this tour to help the Wildcats reach new heights, both in terms of skill development and in our ability to compete at the highest level.”

Head Coach of the PNG Pepes Lua Rikis expressed her enthusiasm seeing Pepes based both in PNG and Australia coming together and playing at home in front of family and friends.

“This visit gives our local PNG-based athletes exposure playing against a quality side and to be in a high-performance environment,” Rikis said.

SUPPORTING LOCAL UMPIRES

National A Badged Australian Umpires Deanna Stainer and Claire Kleinschmidt took part in the tour, mentoring and observing local PNG umpires.

The pair hosted a two-hour Umpire Development Workshop for 16 talented local PNG umpires, in which they covered whistle/hand signals, positioning basics, drills, match play scenarios, and rule clarification.

Stainer and Kleinschmidt also attended matches in Port Moresby, offering further coaching and answering several rule clarification questions. Over 20 umpires were observed across the two days, with four being awarded a National C Badge Accreditation upon practical assessment.

Soni Kemu, Inara Maro, Kila Rawali and Wilma Gigimat all received their accreditations in recognition of their umpiring display and basic grasp of umpiring skills and techniques.

Umpire and Service and Support Lead at Netball Australia Stainer emphasised the engagement of participants during her time in PNG. 

“All umpires who were involved either in the workshop or matches were eager for any development and most importantly were so welcoming for our support to develop their on-court performance,” Stainer said.

The weekend of umpire development wrapped up with over 15 umpires attending the final match of the tri-series, with the opportunity to ask questions at half time and debrief with Stainer and Kleinschmidt after the game, allowing umpires to connect technique concepts to on-court practice.

NURTURING YOUNG TALENT

As well as competing in matches, the Brisbane South Wildcats hosted a junior clinic at the Sir John Guise Arena, running a training session supporting under 15s and 17s with skills, drills and an honest Q&A about life as an athlete.

Participants were nominated by their local association in PNG and gained valuable insights from the premier league team. Hope emphasised the significance of the Wildcats running the training session for their personal development.

“The Wildcats players enjoyed the opportunity to step into leadership roles, mentoring the younger players. Teaching and guiding juniors can help build confidence and foster a sense of responsibility within the team,” she said.

“Interacting with the next generation of netball talent was inspiring for the senior players. It reminds them of their early experiences and provides a sense of fulfillment, knowing they are contributing to the sport's future.

Operations Manager for Brisbane South Wildcats Merrin McCulloch expressed how excited all participants were to be involved.

“All the participants were so keen to be involved, learn and do their absolute best. They wanted to hear from our players and just be with them, the smiles were amazing and our girls thrived on this,” she said. 

CULTURAL INSIGHTS AND UNION

The Brisbane South Wildcats were welcomed to a Poreporena Lahara United Church service on Sunday in Hanuabada Village, where the service was conducted in Motu and English, including an assortment of English hymns and PNG prayer songs.

PNG Pepe Chloe Litherland, based in Brisbane and representing PNG for the first time, met her grandmother from Hanuabada Village during the church service. She and Natalie Onno, whose mother is also from Hanuabada, received a special acknowledgement during the service, which was a meaningful moment for all.

This cultural exchange fostered a better understanding and camaraderie between the teams, enriching players' personal experiences as well as their athletic development.

ONGOING COLLABORATION

The Brisbane South Wildcats and PNG Pepes share a history of working together for mutual growth and development. The Wildcats have previously hosted emerging PNG athletes through the Athlete Immersion Program and facilitated training camps for the PNG Pepes in Australia. This series marks the first time the Wildcats travelled to PNG, symbolising the deepening of this partnership.

Hope was incredibly proud to bring her team to PNG and be part of the collaboration.

“The strong alliance between the Wildcats and Netball PNG is built on a shared passion for the game and we are thrilled to contribute to the growth and success of netball in the Pacific,” she said.

Lynette Maha, Executive Officer at Netball PNG emphasised the significance of the event for netball in the region. 

"Given that we had not hosted an international match for over 10 years, I am pleased with outcomes of this friendly tri-series with the Brisbane South Wildcats," Maha said. 

"We have provided our Netball Community and peaked interest in our Port Moresby city residents with a higher and fast paced elite level netball. We also have given our Pepes wider squad a chance to mix with elite athletes in the Brisbane South Wildcats. I am also pleased to have 4 new C Badge umpires, thanks to Netball Australia and the PacificAus Sports program."

This event is made possible through the support of the Australian Government and Netball Australia under the PacificAus Sports program. PacificAus Sports is an Australian Government initiative developing pathways for Pacific teams and athletes to compete in elite competitions.