Netball World Cup 2023: Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich opens up on cut-throat nature of netball

Netball is a cut-throat sport to be a part of, so what drives Stacey Marinkovich to want to lead the Diamonds? She opens up on how she handles the critics and the pressure.

Stacey Marinkovich is shouldering the expetations of a nation.

Three years after winning the race to become the new Diamonds coach, Stacey Marinkovich stands on the cusp of a rare achievement - leading the world no.1 to the Commonwealth Games and World Cup titles.

On the Eve of the World Cup in Cape Town, Emma Greenwood speaks to Marinkovich about leading the Diamonds program through Covid, generational change and her philosophy on coaching.

EG: When you first came into the job, you probably weren’t that well known outside of Super Netball circles and there was a little bit of surprise when you were announced and a few people said things publicly. Did that hurt or was that surprising at all?

SM: I don’t think it was surprising because people didn’t know me or what I was about and I think in high performance coaching, or any job where you’re trying to be at the height of it, you’ve got to have a self belief and a self confidence and then you also need to have your system of support around you. And that’s something that I’ve really cherished, whether it’s my family, whether it’s my husband, or the incredible high performance staff that I’ve worked with over such a long period of time.

There was always going to be an element of the unknown as to how I would adapt to the role but I found the process of going for the job so thorough and detailed that when I walked away from the interview, I knew that I’d given and shown everything of who I am and the knowledge and experience that I had - and also how I would continue to evolve.

So whether I got the job in that moment in time or not, I was really comfortable that I’d shown who I was and then when given the role, I was really confident that what I could contribute would connect with the players.

Australian Diamonds netball coach Stacey Marinkovich is ready for the pressure of a World Cup.

EG: You seem to instil this real belief in those selected that you’ve picked them for a reason - that you want them to be who they are as players and people because that’s what makes them shine in that high performance environment?

SM: Yeah, absolutely. You want them to be at their best, but you want them to be authentic to who they are at the same time. That’s demonstrated not only through a game plan that accentuates the skill sets and strength of the players in collaboration and connection with each other, but also that they can be true to their origin, true to who they represent when they stand on the transverse line. It’s quite significant that everyone there has a slightly different purpose but to be able to align it and bring it together, I think shows another layer of strength and connection

EG: The players seem to have a very clear idea of what the expectations are coming into this Diamonds group, what the style or brand of netball you want to play is and also the values of the group. Is that deliberate?

SM: I think that’s the part that’s really evolved. You come in with an idea of what a program should look like but then you need to combine that with who’s actually involved in it - it can’t be a dictatorship. There’s a real shared ownership with it now.

So the role clarity, is there; the relationship to have the conversations to challenge but also to reward and recognise has been instrumental in building confidence for players to have individual ambition to play for Australia but also understand the roles that people have to play at particular points in time - and that contribution is still highly valued.

That’s been something that we’ve worked as a group on and it’s certainly been led by Liz and Steph (captain Liz Watson and vice-captain Steph Wood) in their leadership roles.

Team Australia celebrate victory during the gold medal match at the Commonwealth Games.

EG: From day one when you came in, there seemed to be a real target on these pinnacle and benchmark championships - so much so that the players that came into your first tournament in charge, the Constellation Cup group in 2021, talk about the focus that was already on last year’s Commonwealth Games and this year’s World Cup.

SM: The way in which everyone - including our high performance staff and the players - embrace the challenge of being a Diamond, is that you’re expected to be successful. So we walk towards that together, and we certainly don’t shy away from the fact that is the expectation. But it’s about more than a result for this group of players and staff.

I think there’s the part where the experience can’t be just solely on whether you win or lose. Being a part of the Diamonds is that it is truly about the environment that we’ve created and the experience - and I think if you can maximise that then you certainly optimise performance on the court, but it’s not the sole thing that they’ll take with them.

Results take care of themselves - and sometimes you do need a little bit of luck. You can do everything right on the day but as we know, international netball is just cutthroat and it’s not just a given that you do the hard work and things are just going to fall into your lap.

It’s really a collective execution of a game plan, you’ve got to be able to do it repetitively and there’s moments where it does become really hard and challenging. But that’s where I think the unity of this group is something that’s an absolute strength.

EG: Your first tournament in charge was a bit of a baptism of fire really with Gretel Bueta (maternity leave) and Steph Wood (injured) both unavailable and three shooters on debut. After losing that series, did you feel like there was pressure on you from the beginning?

SM: We had to sit down as a high performance group to really understand what is it that we were trying to achieve at that very first point. For me, being so methodical and process driven, everything that we’ve done has been a stepping stone towards our marquee events. Had we just looked at (that series) as a win-loss (scenario), the pressure ramps up massively. But we knew we’d had limited time together and coming in as coach, we’ve had 11 (now), debut in the Diamonds dress and we’ve been able to be successful with each of those players out on court.

I’m pretty methodical, I measure everything to understand where our gaps are, and I’ve got incredible support in our performance analyst and with ‘Richo’ (assistant coach Nicole Richardson) and our support staff to go okay, this is where we are at, this is our current reality. So our feet are firmly fixed on the ground, there’s no complacency and certainly, we leave no stone unturned to make sure that we maximise an opportunity - and whether that gets us the result or not, at least we know, what we put in place and how it’s evolved at that point in time.

The Diamonds will be without Gretel Bueta in South Africa.

EG: You again won’t have Gretel available for this World Cup and she was such a big part of the Commonwealth Games win last year. But if you rewind right back to the beginning, you debuted three shooters who now have a lot of experience in the international arena and will be a big part of the campaign in South Africa.

SM: It’s really symbolic when you get a phone call to say you’re going to a World Cup and I shared with the (new) players that whilst it was super exciting for them, I’m in the same boat. I haven’t been to a World Cup before and we’re kind of similar to where we were at Commonwealth Games - we’ve got a really great opportunity to do something for the first time with this particular group of players.

We’ve only got one player in the group that has a gold medal at a World Cup - and that’s Paige (Hadley) - and she hasn’t done that with any of the group that we’ve got - so it’s really special. That’s the part that I think we embrace the most is the opportunity to do something special together.

EG: At the World Cup, Australia has never failed to reach the final. That could be seen as daunting but when you have that unity and that belief in each other, do you just embrace that challenge?

SM: Absolutely. We’d be lying if it didn’t put butterflies in your stomach to say Australia has never not been in a final. That’s just the class of what the dress actually represents. We still have areas that we need to grow our game.

You’ve got countries that we’re coming up against that will stand very confidently and say that they’re there to win the World Cup, whereas I think in the past, it would be, well, we hope to get there. Certainly New Zealand always put their hand up and everyone has that belief effect at the moment.

It’s our responsibility to go out there and play our best and make sure that our belief is more than just words, that it’s an actual action and a consistency of performance.

EG: You’ve been great as a group in blocking out some of the external noise in various circumstances over the past year. You’re probably going to have to do that again when you go into camp just because of the Super Netball CPA negotiations. Are you confident that’s not going to be too much of a disruption?

SM: We’ve had some really good conversations as a group that we know that this is a moment in time for us and that you only have so much energy and so much focus to be able to share amongst things. For us to be at our absolute best, we know the environment that we need to create when we come into camp.

So everyone’s really clear on that role and that balance and I think everyone will be able to get in our bubble and make sure that our energy and our focus is around World Cup and the preparation and responsibility we have within that environment.

There’s things that girls need (to focus on) and will continue to sort and organise up until the time we come into camp but I know that once they get in there, no one wants to walk away from this occasion knowing that we didn’t prioritise the energy and focus. It’s something that’s really front of mind and something that we’ve discussed and we’re really committed to each other in that space.

Liz Watson (captain), Stacey Marinkovich (head coach) and Stephanie Wood.

EG: You showed some emotion when talking about the Commonwealth Games win at the Australian Netball Awards last year. Coaching this team means a lot to you personally as well doesn’t it?

SM: I think that’s something that’s been a journey for me personally, is to be able to show your own vulnerabilities to people. I think not that long ago, we always thought you had to be a professional, you had to be able to be the strong person to be a strong leader. And actually, I don’t know whether it was becoming a mum or whatever it might have been but I think that to show who you are opens so many avenues with your connection with the player. You only live experiences once and I think to be able to embrace what those emotions bring, then enables you to live it so much more.

But that’s been a journey. Even becoming a mum, (I thought) I had to separate my lives. But hub life with Fever certainly showed me a different way and the group of players that I worked with showed that being a mum is something really special in balance with being a coach and it can create a different culture in itself.

So as much as players evolve and learn and don’t get things right all the time, I’m certainly in the same boat. There’s things that you know, I’ve done well, and there’s certainly some things that I go: ‘Oh my God, I should have done that a little bit better’. But as long as you’re not doing the same mistake over you can show that growth.

EG: Your husband Lindsay and son Matthew are also heading to South Africa. How important is family and support systems to all of the Diamonds group?

SM: They’re coming and my mum and dad, which is exciting. I think (families and loved ones) have the toughest job because they want to support, they want to understand, they want to be able to be a part of it and sometimes you come home and the last thing you want to talk about is your job. But the role they play is massive. Comm Games was such a unique thing for our group. I think the team behind the team had an incredible time and I think they actually resembled the connection that the players had. The dynamic of that group and the way they interacted and supported when things were tough (was incredible).

I think that’s part of what our girls value - that anyone that associates with the Diamonds has an experience. And for our loved ones to be able to connect in the way that they did and have a bloody awesome time was pretty memorable.

EG: You’ve got some great time zones when you play your preliminary rounds (for broadcasting back into Australia). But you’re also on at the same time as the biggest women’s sporting event in history here. Are you hoping you can still get that cut through?

SM: World Cups are a massive thing for all Australians in terms of sporting events. I think it gets an extra level of attention and obviously having a home women’s Football World Cup is an incredible moment - as we’ve experienced with netball World Cups. We want them to be hugely successful and what we want to do is present a brand of netball that gains a lot of respect everywhere. And because we have such a great supporter base in Australia, I think people will still gravitate to knowing what’s going on. It’s the way in which we play the game that will continue to get the support.

I think there’ll be a really good balance (of support). There’s no doubt you’ve got two really popular sports and we’re looking forward to making sure that we do Australia proud as we want the Matildas to do as well. How exciting to be able to have two women’s elite performing sports on and hopefully conquering the world.

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