Last week, the U/17 and U/19 Australian Development Camps took place around the country. There were a significant amount of Netball NSW Athletes and Coaches involved in the Camp, demonstrating just how important the DOOLEYS Metro League and Origin Energy Premier League pathways can be for netball career development.
Mel Clarke from Manly Warringah Sapphires was one of the many specialist coaches in and amongst action.
“The focus has really been on the athletes working in their specialist areas and honing their skills the ‘Australian Way’ which we have spent some time exploring prior to the camp," she said.
“The Premier League environment is often focussed on the development of the team and game preparation with the week in/week out competition environment, so it has been a nice change and challenge for both the athletes and coaches.”
Fellow coach, ex-NSW Swifts captain Abbey McCulloch from Sutherland Stingrays, also had a huge role to play.
“During camp we have time to slow things down, show the girls footage of themselves to provide immediate feedback, and also provide them with a variety of off court education pieces they would not get elsewhere,” she said.
A major theme of this year’s Camp was connection. After two years of decentralised training camps and two cancelled National Championships, this was a critical focus for the coaches and athletes.
“In the last two years, our underage girls have not had the opportunity to connect with their age group across the country so building relationships through Zoom sessions and various off court activities has been important” she added.
“Within our NSW/ACT Hub, we explored the theme of connections through specialist sessions and match play. We challenged the girls to figure out different ways to connect with their units on court and to do it early, emphasising the importance of doing so when they are tired.
“We want to create thinking athletes who can recognise when something is breaking down and have the ability and strategies to rebuild those on court connections in the moment.
UTS Sparks player and QBE Swifts Academy athlete Brooke Patterson said she felt extremely honoured and privileged to be a part of the squad. When asked about the jump from the Premier League world to the Aussie camp, she said she felt extremely prepared.
“By being exposed to the Open’s environment in Premier League, it has taught me the importance of high-performance behaviours and how to be a smarter player.
“As the National Camp is only for five days, the intensity in training sessions is definitely higher and the coaches have higher expectations to execute and implement the skills we have learned at training into practice.
“This camp will aid not only my Premier League journey but also my netball career further down the track as we get to learn how to play like an Australian Diamond.”
Fellow Premier League player Millie Roach, of North Shore United and the GIANTS Academy, shared the sentiment.
“This Camp was amazing in instilling the Australian way of play and the high-performance behaviours expected from athletes at the very top level.
“It gives you 'more tools to add to my netball tool belt' both on and off the court, which I can implement in all my netball endeavours.
“Even though I was sidelined because of an injury, I still benefitted significantly from the off-court analysis and talking to a wide range of coaches at the Camp.
Emma Keane, a Metro League representative from the Illawarra District, has yet to debut in the Premier League competition but still earned national selection into last week’s Camp, proving just how critical the NNSW pathways are.
“It means the world to me to be selected into the Aussie squad. I am so honoured to be playing alongside so many talented girls. It has shown that regional girls like me are able to work our way through the pathway and have the opportunity to be nationally identified.
“This Camp will be great preparation for Premier League as I get to learn high performance behaviours and new skills to take into any training or match environment.
“I am also surrounded by amazing coaches and players who show such tenacity and determination, and it has taught me the importance of forming connections and working as a unit, which I'm certain will be crucial for my future netball endeavours.”
