The big Q&A with former Diamond and Bond Bull Sharks specialist coach Nicole Cusack
Nicole Cusack is synonymous with Australian netball. As a player, she won Commonwealth Games gold and as a coach, she’s won world championships. Now living on the NSW north coast, the new Bond Bull Sharks specialist coach sits down to reflect on a life consumed by netball.
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Nicole Cusack is synonymous with Australian netball. As a player, she won Commonwealth Games gold and as a coach, she’s won world championships. Now living on the NSW north coast, the new Bond Bull Sharks specialist coach sits down to reflect on a life consumed by netball.
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I hear you excelled at a couple of sports as a junior. What took your fancy and why did you eventually decide on netball?
Mum got me into a number of sports to keep me busy because I was a bit hyperactive. I probably had that competitiveness in me that wanted to do well at everything. I played basketball, water polo and swimming. I had to choose between swimming and netball in the end but I was really enjoying team sports. Because I’ve played netball since I was seven, I invested a lot of time in it. I liked the specific positions available in netball but it could have gone either way.
Did you always want to be a professional athlete?
Not really. I just wanted to win. I did want to be the best I could be. When I started, I didn’t realise there was an Australian team but I wanted to make the local representative team. And then you want to make that every year. When I got to about 15, mum took me to an Australian team game and then I heard about the AIS so I wanted to make that team. So it was a gradual realisation for me.
You attended the AIS from 1984-85. How much did that time shape you as a netballer?
I finished year 12 and moved to Canberra and suddenly had all this freedom. You had time to concentrate on your netball and all the specialist coaching and facilities, it opened your eyes. You also got to experience travel. My first overseas trip was to Hawaii for the world club championships. I got to go to places I probably never would have if I wasn’t at the AIS. The knowledge and experience you get lays the groundwork for your whole career.
You made your debut against New Zealand in 1989. How did you find out you’d be representing your country for the first time?
We used to have selections and then your name was in the paper if you got named. Back then, Anne Sargeant was ahead of me so you had to sit and wait for your turn. It was my first time in the team. I think we lost all three test matches but I don’t think we lost to them after that. I was playing wing attack for my first game and Carissa Dalwood was playing centre. I remember in the paper the next day, it said Australia lost because of the inexperienced attack which was us two so I’ll never forget that! It was one of those times where there was a big turnover of talent so a few new girls came in whereas New Zealand were quite established.
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THE HIGHS AND LOWS
You only missed one Diamonds team selection your whole career in 1991. How defining was that?
It just happened to be the year of the World Championships. There were 12 in a team and then Joyce Brown came in as coach and decided she only wanted to pick 10. I was named as one of the reserves and was basically number 11 and never got called in. I wasn’t happy and got a bit angry at netball. It made me determined to make it back the following year, which I did. You have downs in your career and that was the worst one for me. That team got nominated for an Order of Australia medal so all my friends have one and then they say ‘oh sorry I forgot you weren’t in that team’. That’s the ups and downs of sport.
As well as internationally, you were also making inroads on the home front as a New South Wales player and captain. How would you describe your leadership style?
I like to lead by example and be inclusive and get other people’s opinions. I’m not a loud person but I tried to get everyone involved. You don’t have to get along and be best friends but it was important to have the respect of your teammates. In a team, you do anything for each other. I didn’t like having cliques in the team or anything like that.
Australia has always been successful on the World Stage but that 1995 World Cup campaign was fairly comprehensive, going undefeated and beating South Africa in the final. What was the team culture and belief like during those days?
We were number one. Coming from New South Wales, and there were a few of us in the team, we had that winning culture. No matter how much you were down, you would always fight back and win or if you were on top, you’d stay on top. We had that belief we could do anything but we also had respect for our opposition, especially New Zealand because they were always a tough opponent. We never went in thinking we were going to lose but we had to fight for it. We’d always do it together. In 1995, we ended up facing New Zealand before the finals because they lost to South Africa. We basically had our grand final match before and beat them by one point. We beat them throughout the year but when it comes to a World Championships, they find that extra bit of motivation.
FROM PLAYER TO COACH
When did you know your playing days were up?
Probably during that tournament. I had an ankle injury going into it and had a knee injury a bit earlier. I hadn’t had many injuries during my career but the last one was tougher to get back from. The level you have to keep up to fitness wise, I knew I’d had enough and wasn’t ready for a whole pre-season. The following year was a world champs year so it was a big decision but I was very happy with Commonwealth Games gold.
Following your playing career, you made the transition into coaching. Did you always see yourself coaching?
No, not at all. When I finished playing, I had enough of the sport and needed a break. I don’t think I even watched it on television. I needed a clean split. I didn’t think it was ever something I would be doing but then I got a call from Julie Fitzgerald who coaches the Giants netball team now but was coaching the Swifts at the time. She asked me to come in and do some work with their shooters and I was like, ‘really?’ But I eventually went in to help and got more involved and started to enjoy it more and more. I found it really enjoyable and loved the experience of passing on my knowledge – which I never though I would but here we are.
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Women’s sport is in the midst of a revolution in terms of coverage and exposure. But what were things like for you as a female athlete when you were at the peak of your craft?
When I first made the Australian team, I think it was the first year we didn’t have to pay for our uniforms. It wasn’t entirely professional but the sport was in a good place. We got a fair amount of coverage. It was all just starting to improve. We had the 1991 world champs in Sydney so things really started to pick up then. Then a few more national leagues were introduced. I moved from NSW to Victoria (in 1998 for the Commonwealth Bank Trophy season) and I think I was the first person to be paid to move to a different team. I got $2000 to relocate and around $150 a match.
I guess netball is unique in that there’s always been that national and international pathway for women, whereas we’ve seen that develop only fairly recently for the likes of AFL, football and cricket. How do you think netball stacks up these days in a fairly saturated sporting market?
There’s a lot more to choose from now but we’re lucky netball has that strong history. There’s a lot more competition and poaching between codes. But we’ve got a good foundation and we promote the sport well. You’ve got to respect all the other codes as well. As women, I think we have to support them anyway. There’s no competition and netballers support other female athletes.
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HELPING SOUTH AFRICA PROGRESS
You were most recently involved in coaching the successful South African World Cup campaign. Are there many differences between the way South Africa tackles netball compared to Australia?
Having been involved in the Australian team as well, you compare those differences. They’re very good athletes, they have so much passion and drive but they lack the knowledge. Where they’ve come from, politically, being out of the sport for a while, they’re a bit behind.
You’ve just been announced as a specialist coach for the Bond Bull Sharks upcoming Sapphire Series campaign. What do you hope to bring to the side?
This is the age group I really enjoying coaching. They’re hungry for knowledge and want to improve. My aim for the Bull Sharks is to work with their attacking and help them develop and improve. I know Sheryl (head coach Sheryl Burns) has a Kiwi background so I hope I can come in and give them a broader range to choose from.
GETTING TO KNOW NICOLE CUSACK
Age: 54
Born: Sydney, New South Wales
Debut: 1989 vs. New Zealand
Australian Caps: 52
Retired: 1998
Career:
-AIS 1984-1985
-1995 Netball World Cup
-1998 Commonwealth Games gold
-NSW Player, Captain
-NSW Netball Hall of Fame member,
-NSW Sports Hall of Fame Member
Coaching
-NSW Swifts assistant coach, Premiers 2001
-AIS Scholarship Coach
-Firebirds Specialist coach 2010-14 Premiers ’11 (3 Grand Finals)
-Australian U21’s World Champion assistant coach 2010
-Australian Diamonds specialists coach 2008 -12, World Champions 2011
-Assistant South African Coach
-Bond Bull Sharks specialist coach
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