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MEET GEVA MENTOR
POWER AND PASSION
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... we want to be able to create history and create a culture that goes on long past our playing careers
Lightning goal keeper Geva Mentor fights for possession during a Suncorp Super Netball match against West Coast Fever earlier this season. PHOTO: DARREN ENGLAND
Call from coach Noeline Taurua rekindled Geva’s love of the game By Steele Taylor GEVA Mentor credits a lengthy conversation with Sunshine Coast Lightning coach Noeline Taurua for re-invigorating her passion for the game. The 33-year-old has experienced a remarkable 12 months, including leading her club to the Suncorp Super Netball title and helping England to Commonwealth Games glory. But things could have been very different. Mentor admits she’d lost some of her zest for netball towards the end of 2016. A chance to join the new Sunshine Coast team beckoned, with a call from Taurua proving the catalyst for change. “I had a really great first conversation with her where it was going to be a 10 minute call but we ended up being on the phone for an hour," the star goal keeper said. “I just liked everything she was saying, where she was coming from, not just as a coach but as a person, and what she wanted
to create with this team and that excited me. "I said to her that I’ve been playing netball for a number of years now and I feel like I’ve lost the enjoyment. I feel like I want to come back and I want to enjoy my netball. "And basically everything she said was music to my ears. Hence why I have enjoyed my netball and success has followed." Mentor linked with the Lightning, was appointed captain and embarked on a stellar season. "To pave the way (at the club) has been massive and we’re still growing as a club," she said. "We’re only a year or so old and to have success in our first year is exciting but we want to be able to create history and create a culture that goes on long past our playing careers." Mentor is also loving life on the Sunshine Coast but is "super busy" as she is also doing a Bachelor of Education, studying to be a primary school teacher. "So when I’m not training and have a bit of spare time, I’m found in my laptop and in my books," she said. Page 3
MEET THE COACHES
FOCUS ON THE FUTURE Coaching duo determined to help Lightning evolve and grow By Steele Taylor & Tom Threadingham THEY experienced a remarkable maiden campaign at the helm of the Sunshine Coast Lightning but coaches Noeline Taurua and Kylee Byrne are eager to be involved in so much more at the club. The duo, who guided the team to a stunning Suncorp Super Netball title in their inaugural season, have re-signed until the end of 2019. And they’re determined to help the young club evolve. "It takes a few years to be able to consolidate a foundation for any team. To be able to help make our club as strong as possible, I’d like to be a part of that," head coach Taurua said. With the University of the Sunshine Coast on their side, the Lightning are looking for an edge on their opposition. "We’ve been delving more into the sports science area, in particular the performance analysis side and that’s been integrated into our whole program," she said. "That’s very new and that is a point of difference in netball. "It takes time to be able to research ... so I like to be involved in that to see how it looks like on court. "We won last year and it was a good start but it’s all about improving performance and it (the sports science area) is quite enticing as a coach to be part of that." Taurua would also like to help the club provide the region’s players and coaches with further opportunities. "It’s about trying to build a pathway for children who play netball here, to aspire to be a Sunshine Coast Lightning player, and to try and formalise that," she said. "And we also want to see what we can do in regards to the development of coaches in this area. "That takes time so hopefully in the next two years we’ll be able to get something set up and by end of 2019 we will have strong structures in place." She’s forged a strong link with assistant coach Byrne. "We’re very complementary but will also ask the Page 4
Lightning Head Coach Noeline Taurua (right) and Assistant Coach Kylee Byrne are focusing on the team’s long-term future. PHOTO: COURIER MAIL hard questions of each other and challenge each other," she said. Byrne’s enjoyed the ride at the club so far, savouring last year’s win. "It was a nice reward and we certainly look back and it seems quite amazing that we did do that in our first year," she said. "However, because it was our first year and everything happened so quickly we’re certainly not settling on it." She’s also keen to help the club forge a closer connection with the grass roots of the game in the region. "The amount of junior netball talent on the Coast is huge." "We’re looking at setting up (a) Sunshine Coast netball academy and we want it to be a place...where you don’t feel like you have to move to Brisbane to get any representative honours." She’d like to see a local come through the ranks to earn a spot at the Lightning. "We look forward to the day that within the 10 contracted players, there’s a genuine Sunshine Coast product that we’ve watched maybe from 15, 16, 17 years old, who has come through the ranks."
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It’s about trying to build a pathway for children who play netball here, to aspire to be a Sunshine Coast Lightning player
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MEET THE TEAM
STEPH WOOD Birthday: 28/11/1991 Position: GA or WA Height: 175cm Home town: Brisbane Professional career: Three years. NSW Swifts before joining the Lightning in 2017. Career highlights: Australian Diamonds 2016-2018. Awards & achievements: Queensland Under 19 National Champions 2010; member of the Sunshine Coast Lightning team which won the 2017 Suncorp Super Netball competition; silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
ERENA MIKAERE
KELSEY BROWNE Birthday: 17/01/1992 Position: WA or C Height: 167cm Home town: Geelong Professional career: Three years. With the Melbourne Vixens before joining the Lightning in 2017. Career highlights: Victorian Fury 2010/2011/2012/2014/2015; Victorian Flames 2013; Under 17 National Squad 2008/2009; Australian Under 19 Team 2010/2011; Australian Under 21 Team 2011; Australian Under 21 Squad 2012. Awards & achievements: Victorian Fury MVP 2015; Runner-up ANL MVP 2015; member of the Sunshine Coast Lightning team which won the 2017 Suncorp Super Netball competition.
MADDY McAULIFFE
Birthday: 09/07/1988 Position: GD or GK Height: 192cm Home town: Rotorua NZ Professional career: Seven years. With
Birthday: 05/12/1994 Position: WD or C Height: 180cm Home town: Brisbane Professional career: Two years. With
Awards & achievements: 2012 ANZ champions with Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic; member of the Sunshine Coast Lightning team which won the 2017 Suncorp Super Netball competition.
Career highlights: Qld Fusion 2014-2016; Qld Under 21 team 2014/2015; Australian Under 21 squad 2014; Qld Under 19 team 2012/2013; Australian Under 19 squad 2013. Awards & achievements: Member of the Sunshine Coast Lightning team which won the 2017 Suncorp Super Netball.
the West Coast Fever before joining the Lightning in 2017. Career highlights: Bay of Plenty Gold; New Zealand Under 21 squad.
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the Brisbane South Wildcats before joining the Lightning in 2017.
JACQUI RUSSELL Birthday: 1/08/1988 Position: WD or C Height: 176cm Home town: Brisbane Professional career: Firebirds 2010-2011. Yorkshire Jets 2012 (England Super League). Queensland Fusion 2008, 2010-2016. Career highlights: Under 21 national squad 2008/2009; Queensland Fusion captain 2012. Awards & achievements: Won premiership with the Firebirds in 2011.
KARLA PRETORIUS Birthday: 12/03/1990 Position: GD or WD Height: 181cm Home town: Bloemfontein, South Africa Professional career: Three years. With
Bath (England) before joining the Lightning in 2017. Career highlights: South Africa Spar Proteas (2011-present). Awards & achievements: Member of the Sunshine Coast Lightning team which won the 2017 Suncorp Super Netball competition.
MEET THE TEAM
GEVA MENTOR Birthday: 17/09/1984 Position: GK or GD Height: 188cm Home town: Bournemouth, England Professional career: Ten years. Adelaide Thunderbirds 2008-2010, Melbourne Vixens 2011-2016 before joining Lightning in 2017. Career highlights: England Under 17 Team 2000-2001; England national team 2001-present; World Sevens Team 2009. Awards & achievements: Commonwealth Games 2002-2018; World Netball Championships 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015; 2010 ANZ Championship title with Adelaide Thunderbirds; 2014 World Netball Player of the Year; member of the Lightning team which won the 2017 Suncorp Super Netball competition; gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
LAURA SCHERIAN Birthday: 26/06/1988 Position: WA or C Height: 167cm Home town: Brisbane Professional career: Three years. Career highlights: Australian Under 21
team for the 2009 World Youth Cup.
Awards & achievements: World Youth Cup gold medal 2008/2009; member of the 2017 Sunshine Coast Lightning team which won the Suncorp Super Netball competition.
CAITLIN BASSETT Birthday: 23/05/1988 Position: GS Height: 193cm Home town: Perth Professional career: Thirteen years. With the West Coast Fever before joining the Lightning in 2017. Career highlights: 2009 World Youth Cup; 2008 Diamonds debut; 2010-present Diamonds. Awards & achievements: Gold medals at the 2011 and 2015 World Cup; gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games; 2015: Liz Ellis Diamond; member of the 2017 Sunshine Coast Lightning team which won the Suncorp Super Netball competition; silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
KYLEE BYRNE Assistant Coach Kylee was Netball Queensland's Elite Development Coach, overseeing a program to identify and develop the next generation of netballers. She has held positions with Netball Australia for underage teams and was also assistant coach at Queensland Firebirds (2006-2008), netball coach at the AIS (2010-2012) and head coach at the Queensland Fusion (2008-2009 and 2012-2014). In 2017 she helped steer the Sunshine Coast Lightning to victory in the Suncorp Super Netball competition.
CARA KOENEN Birthday: 27/02/1996 Position: GS or GA Height: 190cm Home town: Magnetic Island Professional career: Two years. With the Queensland Fusion/Queensland U21s before joining the Lightning in 2017. Career highlights: Qld Fusion 2014-2016; Qld under age nationals 2013-2016; Australian Talent Identified 2013-2016; Under 19s Tri-Series (Rotorua) 2015; U20s Quad Series (Canberra) 2016. Awards & achievements: Member of the Sunshine Coast Lightning team which won the 2017 Suncorp Super Netball competition.
NOELINE TAURUA Head Coach Widely regarded as the best netball coach in her New Zealand homeland, Noeline Taurua’s CV is impressive. She remains the only coach to lead a New Zealand side to an ANZ Championship title when she was in charge of the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in 2012. The team made the finals series in each of the six years she was there. Taurua also boasts an enviable 72% winning record in the former Trans-Tasman Netball League. In 2017 she coached the Sunshine Coast Lightning to victory in the Suncorp Super Netball competition.
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THE NUMBERS MAN
SCIENCE PART OF SUCCESS
Performance team has a key role in Lightning players’ performance By Shirley Sinclair
WHILE Lightning fans scream their support courtside, Anthony Bedford is quietly helping plot next moves in the on-court “chess match”. The Sport Science Associate Professor is head of performance analysis for the Lightning and part of the hi-tech support team in the wings. With a background in mathematics, his tactical analysis helped the Australian Olympic Badminton Team in London (2012) and Beijing (2008). That included pre-match analysis on how to overcome opponents through statistical patterns that might have emerged in their play. In a similar vein, his role with the Sunshine Coast Lightning puts him in charge of tactical and technical analysis of individual players and their opponents, as well as overall team performance. Netball, like any professional sport, has become a numbers game that the players themselves must understand and use to their advantage. “High-performance analysis is pretty useless unless you can translate that to action, otherwise it will just live in the world of theory,” Anthony said. “(Taking analysis on board) has become part of the club culture – part of our success.
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High-performance analysis is pretty useless unless you can translate that to action, otherwise it will just live in the world of theory. “Our metrics wall is covered in figures. And it’s something they see pre-game, through a game and post-game. “It’s just immersing themselves in that type of analysis. If it’s not absorbed and utilised, it’s of no value.” With the help of video taken at training sessions and matches, all stakeholders can see how the numbers stack up for individuals and whether the team as a whole is meeting targets. Page 8
But the analyst’s work and worth is at its optimum on game day when Anthony must output live data for coaches around how the team and players are performing. “I look after the player tracking – monitoring player workloads, how far and how hard they’re running – plus the maths side: for example, are we achieving shooting percentages, how often are we turning the ball over and where are the weaknesses for both us and our opponents,” he said. It’s a tough gig and one Anthony prefers to do away from the emotions that may be running high in the crowd. “You have to be very emotionless, like watching a movie with the sound turned down,” he said. “At a training session recently, I turned off the volume and it’s a much better way to watch it. “You view things much more as objects rather than emotionally. “I like to pride myself on being 98% accurate when we’re doing things live.”
HIGH-TECH HELP: Head of Performance Analysis, Anthony Bedford, and his team of sports scientists play a key role in the Lightning’s campaign PHOTO: PATRICK WOODS
THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Caitlin Bassett and Lightning team-mate Geva Mentor fight for possession during the gold medal match between Australia and England at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. PHOTO: TRACEY NEARMY
CAITLIN BOUNCES BACK
Lightning’s sharp-shooter puts Games gold medal match behind her
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Sport can be cruel but the skipper took the heart-breaking experience in her stride
By Dave McLenaghan CAITLIN Bassett has one of the sharpest minds in the netball world. The Diamonds’ captain is forever learning – always improving, never stagnate. Her latest lesson? One game doesn’t define you. Adversity will teach you a lot of things, whether you want to know about it or not. Australia’s one-goal loss to England in the gold medal match at the 2018 Commonwealth Games was hard to watch. It would have taken a brave person to bet against the Diamonds after six straight crushing victories had the world No.1 team in pole position to claim consecutive Games gold medals. Sport can be cruel, but the skipper took the heart-breaking experience in her stride, gathered the positives she could and used the experience to sharpen her resolve. The Games weren’t all doom and gloom. On court, Bassett scored 175 goals in her seven
outings at 92% accuracy. There was little more she could have done to inspire and lead her squad. Off court, the Games village was a melting pot of 71 nations. There was always something happening and Bassett immersed herself in village life. “There were lots of nice social areas to relax and the weather was great so you could hang out in comfort,” she said. “We were able to chat to some of the other athletes in the pool. Hockey matches were often played at night so we would catch up with the Kookaburras the next morning when they were doing their recovery session.” While Bassett no doubt left the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with mixed emotions, she returned to the Sunshine Coast solely focused on Suncorp Super Netball. “Just being back with the Lightning crew made me so happy and having the motivation to train towards something was positive,” she said. Page 9
MEET KELSEY BROWNE
KEEPING UP WITH KELSEY There’s not much time to relax for the Lightning’s wing attack Q: What’s a normal day for you? KELSEY: I usually wake up about 5.15am and have to be at the university by 6am for a session in the gym. That’s usually about two hours of weights or conditioning training. We do gym work about three times a week and court work three times. We finish by 8am and I head straight to work. I’m doing a couple of hours a day at a Buderim chiropractor and they are really understanding about my commitments with the team. I get home by lunchtime and in the afternoon I get some studying done for my Bachelor of Communications degree at the USC. If I don’t have any study to do, I’ll spend some time relaxing or reading a book because I’ve been up since so early. I usually see the team physio or dietician once a week, so I’ll do that in the afternoon as well. Of course, I have to find time to do the washing and cooking, just like everyone else. After dinner I’ll watch a bit of trash TV and be in bed by 9.30pm. Q: How strict are you with your diet? KELSEY: I try to maintain a balanced, healthy diet. I know what works well for me but we also have a dietician who helps us. Breakfast is usually muesli with fruit or yoghurt. It has to be something that’s healthy but also quick and easy because I’m heading out the door. Dinner is also something healthy and I’ll make enough to do for lunch the next day as well. We have to eat healthy but it also has to be pretty easy because we’re on the go all the time. Of course, I have a naughty treat every now and then - I’d go insane if I couldn’t do that. My treat is chocolate - I love it. Q: What’s your routine on game day? KELSEY: A lot depends on how much we have to travel but if it’s a home game I’ll have a bit of a sleep-in and wake up about 8am. I don’t want to be hanging around home all day waiting to play, so after I’ve had some breakfast I might go for a walk on the beach to get the legs working. I try not to exert myself so I can save my energy for the game, so I’ll hang around the house and then head to the venue a couple of hours before the game is due to start. I don’t get nervous before a game but I like to be in the right frame of mind, so I get there in plenty of time or else I get stressed. Q: What about after the game? KELSEY: We might go out as a team but I’m normally worn out after a game so I’m happy to go home, sit on the couch, have dinner and go to bed. I’ll also put ice on any bumps and bruises from Page 10
ABOVE: Kelsey Browne loves escaping to the beach with a book. LEFT: Kelsey in action for the Lightning.
the game. Game day is a really big day and we expend a lot of energy, so it’s usually an early night. We’re professional athletes, so we need to look after ourselves. Q: Do you get a day off? KELSEY: The day after a game is our one day off for the week. That’s when I like to clear my head of all things related to netball and spend the day with family and friends. I like to get out and about so I might go to beach and read a book or maybe go out for lunch. Nothing crazy because I need to recharge the batteries so I’m fresh to start another week.
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SPORTING TIES
A BIG YEAR FOR TEAMS By Dave McLenaghan
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Culture at any club is critical to success, both on and off the court or field
THE Sunshine Coast Lightning and Melbourne Storm scaled the dizzy heights of professional sport in 2017 and were crowned the world’s best club teams in netball and rugby league. Widely regarded as the NRL benchmark for professionalism, Storm surged to the NRL minor premiership, premiership and world club challenge titles. A culture built on leadership, honesty and humility has helped the Melbourne men forge an unforgettable path in the code. Renowned for Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith and Sunshine Coast Lightning ruthless training captain Geva Mentor with their 2017 premiership trophies. methods, you’d be hard PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED pressed finding another The key to Sunshine Coast’s immediate success rugby league club that can match the purple army in the newly-formed competition was, in part, due in the way they prepare. to a culture built on passion, purpose, people and With three NRL premierships (1999, 2012, 2017) having a point of difference. Everyone has a say no and three minor premierships (2011, 2016 and matter where you sit in the pecking order. 2017) to its name, Storm is looking to become the “Culture at any club is critical to success, both first club in the NRL competition to win on and off the court or field,” midcourter Maddy back-to-back crowns. McAuliffe said. Storm’s sister club, Lightning, is also hunting “From the time we have spent with Storm, you consecutive trophies after a comprehensive 65-48 can see their culture working through the way they rout of Giants in the 2017 Suncorp Super Netball approach training and playing, and the way they decider. interact with one another. Can a club win two titles on the trot in the new “We focus on relationships and communication national netball competition? Only one team managed the feat in the Trans-Tasman ANZ at Lightning. If you don’t have those connections Championship, when Queensland finished on top then you’re not able to work with each other to achieve what you want.” in 2015 and 2016.
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