By Emily Beaton
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to play in a national netball Grand Final, you’re about to find out.
I’ll take you through every emotion, thought and feeling that goes through a player’s mind as they embark on one of the most pivotal moments of their sporting career.
It’s an experience I’ve lived three times, twice as a champion, once as a non-champion.
The correct term is loser but I’m so competitive that I hate using the word. Which is while I’ll focus solely on my last premiership: 2013 with the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
MAKING THE GF
Making it through to the big dance is such a milestone in itself, the pure elation takes over. You’ve done it. You’ve made it…but you’re not done yet.
The feeling of possibility sweeps through you. Could we do it? Will we do it? Could our hard work, sunrise sessions and sacrifices finally pay off?
Thankfully, this is where your coach comes in. She reminds you to stay present and focus on the process, not the outcome. She tells you for the first time, of approximately one million: the job is not done yet.
GF WEEK
If you want to feel like a rockstar, get yourself into a grand final. Everyone you meet is excited and happy to see you. You’re getting congratulated at every turn and you walk a little taller knowing your city is behind you.
When you make a grand final, the job is only just beginning. You’re actually excited to go to training too and in the most bizarre turn of events (for me) you don’t even whinge about doing an ice bath. It’s a Grand Final miracle!
At every training session you are laser focused. It’s all about process, process, process and doing the basics better. There are no shortcuts in finals. You must nail every pass, re-offer like your life depends on it, do the extra dodge, and defend your player for five seconds instead of three. You dive on loose balls and back up your teammates at every opportunity. And they do the same for you. Every. Play. Matters.
Shockingly, outside of netball life goes on. A few people come out of the woodwork asking for free tickets. You politely tell your second-cousin's-niece's-daughter that sorry, netball is hot property and tickets got snapped up long ago.
You keep to the same routines and head to work, eat the same meals, hang out with your teammates, friends and family - but there’s always the feeling of something larger looming. Something that could change your life and be one of the crowning achievements of your career that you’ll go on to tell your grandkids about (or any poor soul that follows you on Instagram).
But you battle with your brain because you’re not supposed to go there. And your coach tells you for the 873,298th time: the job is not done. Remember: process, process, process.
GF DAY
It feels like Christmas Morning, except the presents will only come if you’re extra good this year and play your absolute heart out.
The nerves are ever-present. You tell yourself it would be weird if you didn't have nerves, in an attempt to stop them consuming you. But it doesn’t work.
You force yourself to eat, knowing you need the fuel - even though your appetite is non-existent. Funnily, this doesn’t seem to affect your superstar goal shooter who boards the team bus munching on a bag of cheese & onion chips.
When you see your teammates, the nerves quieten a little. You’re not doing this alone, and you thank your mum and dad for signing you up to a team sport when you were seven.
On Grand Final Day you're glad to be part of a team. You look around the bus and see your captain - the Aussie Captain - Nat von Bertouch and breathe a sigh of relief. She’s a champion that knows how to win and will drag us all over the line if she needs to.
You look at your defenders: Renae Ingles (née Hallinan), Bec Bulley and Sharni Norder (née Layton) and feel calmer knowing they’re three of the most competitive people who will never, ever (ever!) give up.
And you look at your star Jamaican GS Carla Borrego, chips in hand, alongside your housemate and bestie Erin Bell. The three of you know each other's game back to front and trust each other implicitly. We can do this.
For the first time nerves turn to excitement. You’re ready to play.
THE GAME
Every moment feels special. You’ve run out on court a hundred times, but in this moment you lock eyes with your mum and dad and give them a smile in a silent thank you for the sacrifices they made to get you to this moment.
As you line up arm in arm with your teammates, singing the national anthem, you’re ready for battle.
And so the battle begins.
The nerves are back, you tighten up, and hesitation hits. So you look at your teammates again, relax and soon find a rhythm. You focus on the process and thank your coach for drilling this message into your head at every opportunity.
You put it all on the line on Grand Final Day.Your legs are on fire, your lungs are screaming at you, but you ignore the pain and keep running. Whatever it takes, you’re going home with the trophy. For us, there’s no other option.
THE WIN
The whistle blows and time slows down. Is this real? Have we really won? It feels like a dream.
Then a teammate screams in your face, another starts a stacks on and you’re slammed straight back to reality. YOU’VE DONE IT!!!!!
You’re champions.
You do a victory lap thanking your amazing fans, and as you look into the sea of little girls cheering you on, your mind flashes back to being the same age. When, at 10-years-old, you told anyone who would listen that you were going to play for The Adelaide Thunderbirds one day. You did, and today you became a two-time premiership player.
You made that 10-year old proud, and unexpectedly, it’s the biggest win of all.
THE AFTERPARTY
For my own dignity, I’ll let you imagine just how the afterparty went down. Think champagne, questionable dancing and…
Actually I’ll leave it there.
There's nothing like the feeling of winning a Grand Final.THIS WEEKEND
The Adelaide Thunderbirds and Melbourne Vixens have their own opportunity to create history this weekend.
For the Thunderbirds they can become one of the greatest teams of all time, winning back to back championships 25 years on from Marg Angove’s Tbirds side of ‘98-’99.
For the Vixens, it’s the ultimate underdog story. To be demoralised by 25 goals in the Major Semi Final, responding with a one-goal win in the Preliminary Final, only to face their Thunderbird foes again. If they win, it’s got Hollywood written all over it.
One thing I know for sure; anything can happen in finals. It’s more than a physical game of skill - it’s a mental game of nerves. The Thunderbirds are the hunted. The Vixens have nothing to lose. It’s a dangerous dynamic for the home side.
This is our Olympics and netball is ready to crown its champion. My tip is the Tbirds in a tight one, at home in front of their 9000-strong Pink Army.
Bring on Saturday.
