The Netball Show
S7 Ep89: Kath Tetley (21st Nov 2024)
(upbeat music) - Hi, this is Nat Metcalf. Flyhawk have developed a unique 3D kit designer that's fully customizable. So if you're looking for a new kit for your team for the new season, visit flyhawk.com or email info@flyhawk.com with your ideas now. - Nation Player is the easy to use, one-stop radio and audio app. Download Nation Player now on the Apple App Store or Google Play. Nation Player, where on are you? - The netball show with Flyhawk, raising the bar for netball and winning sports. - Netball show with Flyhawk, always delighted to speak to those that are really making a strong impression in the game. And we haven't so far spoken to Kath Tetley, new head coach of Thistles, obviously their involvement in the Celtic Cup final. For those that perhaps don't realize you've got a Scottish heritage, don't you? - Yeah, I do actually. My father's mother is from Aberdeen and I was really close with her when I was young and she moved out to Australia after the war. So she served and happened to meet my grandfather during the war and they were one of the many, many from the UK that came to Australia after World War. So it was really special actually to have this opportunity. So, yeah, she's from Aberdeen and I'm actually headed there this weekend. It's my first weekend off from Nepal and international Nepal and I'm headed to Aberdeen for that. - I suppose from Karen Leslie and Ken as well, what's it been like almost fitting into that team? How are you finding the whole set of work? - Oh, look, the thing that I have really enjoyed is that people have just been so open to my questions or new ways of doing things and I always sort of think about it. There's these wonderful pink signs everywhere here that says the people make glows go and I always just say it's true because the way in which people have just really welcomed myself and my husband here to this country has been really special and the team have been obviously patiently waiting for me to finish up my season at the New South Wales Swifts. So for that to happen, round that off and then come here, which was basically, I arrived and three days later, we had our first distal camp. So people have been really kind and they've also really shepherded me through learning how the place works. So it's been really good. - Are you finding there's a big difference in coaching here compared to Australia? - It's the little things. So the way things I'm used to doing things, I've made mistakes since I've got here, I've said, oh, is that why we're not doing it like this? And they said, well, you have analysis too. And that's really fair. It's just that I'm used to different normals. So it might be anything from the timings of what we would do pre-match in preparing our bodies or what we would do in terms of different sections of a training session or terminology. It was quite the moment when I learnt that what I would call a roll to back was actually called a slip and slide. So it's all of those moments that have been really good fun and we've all had a really good giggle during training sessions whilst I get to know what all the terminology is. - Obviously working with New South Wales Premier League, I'd liken it to a pathway perhaps. So you'll be in a both Scotland performance director as well. That'll be key in the future, obviously, as you select those future thistles, really. And we saw a bit of that in the Celtic Cup, didn't we? - Yeah, look, for me, I'm a person of grassroots and pathway. I feel really strongly about the importance of, you know, it's not only supporting the athletes, but what does the coaches need on their journey to quite frankly develop the next layer of thistle? So for me, giving people the opportunity is one thing, giving them the opportunity in an environment, but also how can I really add value with my performance director element of my roll to assisting the growth of coaches in Scotland? And I've got to say, everyone that I've met, that is a coach, is just so interested in what they can do to be better. And you don't need anything more than that, you know, because 10 people interested in doing that very quickly becomes a hundred. So that's what I consider is a really big part of my role. - The games in the Cup then, Thursday it was 56, 58 to Wales. End of the game, do you think it's going to be one of those weeks? I really take it. - Do you know what? At first, I was pretty gutted because I thought, oh, you know, we've done such a nice job of clawing it back, you know, down six, half, you know, and the players had really tuned into sticking to game plan and I just, I just could taste it. I really could taste it. But I wasn't worried about the week ahead because of that. And what I mean is that if we are embracing how we want to play and sticking to that for each other, I was pretty confident that we were going to have a couple of really fun days of netball. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the biscuit in the end. We didn't get the win. And that's ultimately what we want from a Celtic Cup. So I was pretty disappointed for them because they'd worked really hard, so. - It was nice to be able to welcome Aya on the back as well after her pregnancy as well. (Aya laughs) Things like that and seeing how she took to court again. - She was absolutely amazing. She's a real 1%er, Ayaona. She's someone who genuinely cares about doing the little things well. And that's just so incredibly easy to work with as a coach. She knows what's required from herself, for her body, for her child, balancing out the week. She was an amazing part of the Celtic Cup and just so thrilled for her because she really wanted to put out some good performances and I believe she did. - Nice little win on Friday against Zimbabwe in the rotational side. - Yes. - It was 55, 45 as well, but I suppose given their flair on court and everything that surrounds them off court with the fans as well, did it surprise you in the right way? - Oh, I'm really pleased. And the reason I'm pleased is that the game was very different from the Welsh game. You know, we got a cracking star. A 14-aid start is a really nice way to show some real strengths, stick to game plan, do. And what we were talking about was us doing us and really focusing on our game plan rather than chasing down what other opponents were doing. So the fact that we could actually execute us doing us was really great. But then as a coach, how do we then rebound? Because we lost the second and, but then we managed to win the third and then a draw in the last. So, you know, it was a very interesting game from an analysis point of view and from how do we ensure that we build on runs or put our hand up to make a stop if they are building momentum as well. So from a learning and growing perspective, the Zimbabwe game was great for us because they are, that you're right, they play with such fantastic flair. And I wanted the physicality. I wanted people to really get into our grill across the four days. We haven't played any matches in about about 12 months. So the fact that others had played a few before they got here, we needed people in our face saying, how good are you going to be? Because we needed to be able to ensure that we could match the physicality, but also still keep applying all of the structures and plays that we wanted to do without being distracted by what they were bringing. So that was, it was great, it was a great game. - On Saturday, it was a good 53-40 win over the Warriors, always special wins over on Northern Ireland. What did you make of that? - Again, I think what's really interesting about netball in the UK is, so if we think about the big picture of who do we get to play and how often? And I think people sort of feel like, oh, well, do we want to keep playing this style of netball, et cetera. My take on it is, it's all valuable that the Northern Ireland match is incredibly important to us because there's almost a mirroring in some of the styles of play. And I also really like it when athletes have to come up against people they know really, really well. So the fact that you have to really put into a box, your personal relationships, et cetera, because we knew a lot of the players, the girls knew a lot of the players, the fact that they could actually put that aside and step across the white line and play really great hard netball was really good. But I think our first half was really dominating. 31, 14, that's a cracking first half. However, we didn't finish off with the same level of pushes we did for the first. So that's a real work on for us. - What did you take from the final? Obviously there was that disappointment in the final score line, but those that were watching saw really parts of the player that was nice to see. - Yeah, there was some fantastic play. What I would say is the first half was really interesting. The first half of the first quarter, we played some really nice netball, but you can't cruise ever. So what happened in the back half of the first quarter where they got a run-on of about eight goals was one of those moments for me where we go, okay, what are we gonna do in those moments where we need to stop and reset? And we don't have the luxury here of SSN's time-outs and taking a moment or a strategic timeout or anything. I mean, we're just rolling on so that we can't do that to ourselves because then if I shelve the first quarter of that match, the rest of the game was just a fair-dinkum arm wrestle each way. Yes, there was some full credit, full credit to Wales. They won each of the quarters, but the back three quarters was good netball and that we certainly had some really good passages of play. And we managed to try a few different things as well. So look, would I have liked the win absolutely? Do we take a lot from it? 100%. Thankfully, we don't have the super-shot here yet. Oh, I've flipped flopped over the years with the super-shot. I love it some weeks and I don't the other. As we record this, where are you now on it? Well, I think coming off the last couple of Swiss seasons, I have to say that I love the super-shot. So because it works through our favor in the Swiss land, but I was really skeptical of it at first because I'm a very much a traditional list and a lover of the game. So it's taken me a little while, but I'm getting my groove on with it. Yeah, the comp game has obviously taken place in Glasgow of 2026. We know really about the importance of the sport ourselves and how these events come around in the blink of an eye really. So how important is it the major events take place here? I could not be any more excited about this. When I heard that this was an option, I was absolutely thrilled for Scottish netball because what it provides, and I guess this is my working background, is the inspiration piece and the job that we have as thisals now is to inspire the next generation of netball through the Commonwealth Games. Every local netballer should be now booking in to attend because seeing that level of competition live and seeing those athletes in one place on their doorstep, hearing Glasgow, nothing better. So from a fans and growth of the sport point of view, love it. From a thistles point of view, absolutely brilliant. You know, there's no better preparation for netball World Cup 2027 than a like for like format competition. So couldn't be happier. Finally, what's the next few ones going to look like for you? Yeah, I'm really respectful of the club piece of a player's life. So obviously having come from the SSN environment, for me, it's really important that now that the international window for the thistles comes to a close per se, it's really important that we now just provide the right support structure to their club activities. So we've got, you know, a few exciting things coming up in the new year, which is good. But, you know, I guess our focus from an international calendar perspective will be on Celtic Cup 2025. And hopefully there'll be a couple of invitations coming our way for matches sort of in the back in the international window for the end of 2025. But it's a nice time for the athletes now to sort of reflect, I think, and take some learnings from the last 10 weeks together and hopefully take some really good stuff into their club nipple. And a review on Celtic Cup, maybe a return for next year? Oh, look, I'm really proud of you. You're doing well your best, aren't you? Look, I'm really biased. I think that it would be brilliant to have Celtic Cup back here in 2025. If for no other reason that it gives the event team and the event staff a really good opportunity from a test event point of view in the lead up to the Commonwealth Games. But I am also really respectful of the fact that the competition is a tri-party agreement amongst the three Celtic nations. So we just need to make sure that everybody would be happy with whatever the next plan would be. Path, thank you so much for your time. Absolutely my pleasure. Always love to talk nipple. The netball show is now also available via SkyQ and SkyGlass. Select sports and we're on the podcast's rail.
Kath Tetley coached Netball Scotland to a final and second placing in her first major tournament since being announced as their Head Coach. A great listen!