Culture, Composure and Fun

On the eve of the Stingers competing in the quarterfinals at the 2024 Olympic Games, NSWIS Head Coach, Jacki Northam previews what to expect in the match against Greece.

Jacki Northam (JN): They’ve done amazingly well in their pool matches, beating the Dutch and the Hungarian teams, both in penalty shootouts, showing such composure towards the end of both games and then also in the penalty shootouts has just been amazing. They’ve taken a massive step forward over the last, you know, since January and it’s just fantastic to watch them.

NSWIS: Who are they playing in the quarters and what are some of the things I’ll need to look out for in terms of the strengths of their opponents?

JN: We finished top of our group. We’ll be playing Greece who finished fourth in their group. It’s a bit of a psychological advantage, I think, but no game is easy with the top eight nations in the world. The Greeks are very fast, quite strong, but I don’t think they’ve got the superstars that the other teams we’ve played have. It’s more around a team effort watching for everyone because, you know, they can do anything. It’ll be composure again in defence, making good decisions and taking out opportunities when they present themselves.

NSWIS: Where are the Greeks ranked in the top of the world?

JN: The Greeks have finished above us in the the last world championships. We’ve gone in ranked maybe eighth and they’re probably six. But, you know, we beat the Dutch who were ranked second and the Hungarians who were ranked fourth so I don’t think any rankings going to stop us. It’s onwards and upwards from there and you know quarter finals are the most crucial match in any tournament. You know win it and it’s top four and you never know what happens but losing it in water polo means we’ll have two more games and have to play off from fifth to eighth. Uou don’t want to be in that group.

NSWIS: There are quite a number of NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) girls who are in the team.

JN: We’re in a privileged position we’ve got eight NSWIS athletes in in the team of 13. All of them have played their role, you’ve got Jen Longman who hasn’t played any minutes in actual games, but has been put in the water for the two penalty shootouts and saved two in the shootout against the Dutch and won the game for us. You’ve got Bronte Halligan playing nearly every minute of every game. And then you’ve got Sienna Hearn who isn’t playing very much but also in the penalty shootout got in and put her two penalties away against the Dutch. Everyone is playing their role and seems really confident to be able to step up when needed. All of our NSWIS athletes are performing fantastically and I can’t wait to watch.

NSWIS:  Bec Rippon has had a long association with the Institute, she’s an Olympic bronze medallist, she was the head coach here and it was only in January she stepped into the national head coach role.  

JN: She’s been phenomenal to bring this team to where it is now. They’ve done a massive amount of work in the water obviously on their skills and their tactics and their fitness but I think they’ve done a heap of work out of the water developing their team culture, their values and what it means to be a stinger and they’re showing that and Bec has just, every time you look at her she’s calm, she’s in control. I’ve been messaging with her and she’s just saying after the Dutch game that went into penalty she went, oh it was fun. So she’s enjoying herself there, I saw a quote from it somewhere else where she goes, we’re not running away from the pressure, we’re embracing it.

NSWIS: What’s your prediction tonight?

JN: I think we will win by five.