Wills on the Firebirds’ future

By Matt Fotia 

Kiri Wills is a realist. 

She doesn’t believe in fate.  

But even she had to admit there was a sense of the destiny when the role of Firebirds coach became available. 

Wills’ children, both avid swimmers and handy water polo players, were already on the move to Queensland, having enrolled at St Peters Lutheran College in Indooroopilly. 

The Wills children had planned to board, but that might not be necessary anymore. 

“It’s all played out like it was meant to be, but being the rationalist I am I know it’s just a coincidence,” Wills stated. 

“My husband and I hadn’t anticipated either of us moving, we were happy to be in New Zealand, but when this job came up, he told me to have a go, and here we are. 

“I’m following them.” 

Wills’ connection to the Firebirds doesn’t stop there.  

She and her Northern Stars outfit built a connection with the Queensland side during the 2024 pre-season. 

“All the little strands are very weird,” Wills said. 

“We got to know the Firebirds well during the pre-season, we took them under our wing, taught them how to sing a Māori waiata, they loved us, and we loved them.” 

Heading into the interview process Wills had one clear objective, to show the panel exactly who she was. 

Fortunately for her, that person was exactly what the Firebirds were looking for. 

“I just tried to put my best foot forward in terms of who I was and what I could bring,” Wills said. 

“I’m well known in New Zealand for bringing teams together and creating an environment where people feel like they belong. 

“Everyone who wants to be in a high-performance team or in a workplace wants to have that sense of belonging, so that was a strength I could bring. 
 
“What I really wanted the panel to understand once I finished was who I am as a person and who I am as a coach, and if they wanted me, fantastic, and if they didn’t feel I was the right fit, that was okay as well.” 

The SSN is regarded as the best netball competition in the world, and fans expect only the best from players and coaches alike. 

So, is Wills ready for the step up? 

After almost a decade, and three Grand Final appearances with the Stars in the ANZ Premiership, the former New Zealand Under 21 and Fast5 coach is sure of it. 

“I’ve coached at the elite level for a very long time,” Wills stated. 

“The ANZ isn’t quite the SSN, but it’s still the next best competition in the world, and my seven years at the Stars have prepared me for this. 

“Technically and tactically, if you’ve played the game, you’ve got the goods to be a good coach, but in the end, coaching is really about people management and making sure that in a very high-pressure situation we can still hold it together regardless of what’s happening.” 

A lot has happened for the Firebirds in the past 12 months. 

Head coach Bec Bulley parted ways with the club in June, just one and a half years into a four-year contract. She was replaced by interim coach Lauren Brown who left the role soon after.  

Former Firebird Katie Walker eventually took control of the side and guided them through the rest of the season.  

The Firebirds won just four games and finished seventh. 

In the weeks following the end of the SSN season, the Firebirds were the subject of widespread criticism, after announcing that star goal shooter Donnell Wallam and goalkeeper Remi Kamo would not be offered contracts for season 2025. 

Wills is wary of casting aspersions about her predecessors, choosing to focus on building a brighter future for her new club instead. 

“I am very circumspect about what’s in the media and what’s actually happening,” Wills explained. 

“Yes, I could have looked at what was being reported and assumed it was the full story, but there are always two sides to every story, and somewhere in the middle is probably where everything lands. 

“Regardless of what has happened and what hasn’t happened, everyone needs the new environment to be really uplifting, and I can definitely provide that.” 

Skipper and midcourt dynamo Kim Ravaillion joined Wallam and Kamo on the Firebirds departure list after announcing her retirement last season. 

On the arrivals board are two imports from the English Super League, with 201cm Ugandan shooter Mary Cholhok and English midcourter Imogen Allison putting pen to paper. 

Notably, both players were signed before the Firebirds had completed their search for a new head coach.  

Fortunately, Wills is an avid fan of Cholhok’s work, having unsuccessfully tried to bring her to the ANZ Premiership on multiple occasions. 

“I’ve been chasing Mary for three years with the Stars,” Wills stated. 

“Her and I had a bit of a giggle about the fact we had spoken to each other via agents so often and now we’re coming to Brisbane together. 

“I haven’t had as much to do with Imogen, but when we met for the first time, I reassured her that we were going to be newbies together, and we will bring ourselves into it together.  

“She is going to be a fantastic presence to have as a coach.” 

The other Firebirds signing is young defender Ashlee Barnett. 

Barnett, who claimed the Firebirds Futures MVP award in 2024, impressed selectors with her Super Netball Reserves performances and with her consistency in the HART Sapphire Series with the ACU Brisbane North Cougars. 

Her inclusion alongside Ruby Bakewell-Doran and Isabelle Shearer leaves the Firebirds with an exciting, but undersized defensive circle. 

An issue Wills is out to amend.  

“We want to build strength in our team,” Wills said. 

“When watching the Firebirds this year, I felt they got knocked around a bit and this year we are not going to be the ones on the floor.” 

“They’re lean, mean, fast machines, and we want to maintain that, but we also want to add some more strength on top of it, because the shooting circle is a physical area, and we need to able to compete against Nweke and Fowler-Nembhard.” 

The netball public are hopeful bigger bodies aren’t the only thing Wills plans to implement during her tenure.  

Many will of course be expecting her to bring a distinct Kiwi style of play to the SSN, with multiple defensive systems, chaotic long feeds, and speed to boot. 

Unfortunately, that won’t be the case.  

At least not right away. 

“I can’t just suddenly have four different game-styles that people have to try and keep up with,” Wills explained. 

“It will be layered in, it may not be obvious until year two and year three, but you will see us trying some new stuff this year.  

“The Kiwis have been playing this way for years and the Constellation Cup has shown it still has a place and can still be competitive, but I will have to be measured in how much we mix it in. 

“One of the biggest things I’ve reassured the girls, is I’m not going to come in and totally change everything they’ve ever known, but I do think I can use their strengths to play slightly differently, and they’re excited by that.” 

One of those changes will be the way the Firebirds approach the Super Shot. 

While Wills herself has limited experience with the two-point play, she has learned plenty from a three-match series played earlier this year in New Zealand between the Stars and Mystics’ men’s sides, where two-point shots were available all match. 

“I’m really excited about it, and you will see some change in the way that we’re going about it,” Wills said.  

“The Stars and Mystics men played the two-point shot and there were subtle changes they made in terms of their timing and their set up that I haven’t seen in the SSN yet. 

“We will be looking at bringing that stuff in.” 

All of this is beside the point of course.  

There is only one thing for certain all Firebirds fans will be hoping Wills can bring.  

On court success. 

The Firebirds have made the finals just once in the history of SSN, and their last finals victory came in 2016, when they claimed back-to-back ANZ Championship titles. 

“Part of building a culture is understanding the legacy,” Wills explained. 

“I made the girls watch the Grand Finals the Firebirds won and got them to tell me what they saw, what they felt and what they heard, and we spoke about who those women were and what legacy they’ve left us. 

“Then we asked ourselves, at the end of the year what are people going to say about us?” 

“Sometimes we can talk about upholding the legacy, but really, it’s a guardianship piece and every team should be adding to that story. 
 
“We’re not going to be those women, but we’re going use these women as our inspiration.”