By David Nagel
It is reflective of the attitude and impact of Gippsland Storm Elite Development Netball Club Head Coach Simon O’Shanassy that he still gets excited about the prospect of welcoming the next generation of future stars to the club.
The 47-year-old is about to embark on the latest journey in a magnificent career in netball, when Storm welcomes players in 13’s, 15’s, 17’s and Open age-groups to its trials beginning this Sunday 16 October.
After 32 years in the game, and being Head Coach at Storm since 2005, O’Shanassy has never tired of imparting his knowledge and wisdom on the new crop of emerging talent that commit to the Storm each year.
“It’s always an exciting time, and that’s the great thing about this role,” O’Shanassy said.
“If you’re coaching the same people, year after year after year, you feel sometimes as a coach that your message is becoming stale, that the message is not getting through.
“But when these new players come in for the first time, you look at their body language, and expressions on their face, and you can see how excited they are.
“We are the starting point for the next phase of their netball journey, and that’s a responsibility we take on board.
“No matter where these players go, and whatever they achieve in netball, we want them to be proud that their time at Storm was the starting point of their elite netball journey.”
O’Shanassy has basically lived and breathed netball since being introduced to the game by his sister Kirsty at the age of 16.
As a player he represented Victoria for six years and was selected in the All-Australian Men’s squad at under-21 level, during which time he discovered his passion for coaching.
A switch from the courts of St Albans to the South Eastern suburbs, in 2000, began a hugely successful last-two decades in the game.
At community club level, he has coached Beaconsfield to four A Grade titles and has helped players at Cranbourne, Devon Meadows, Lang Lang, Pakenham and ROC to reach their full potential.
But it is at Storm where he has been a constant, since taking over the Head Coaching role in 2005.
“I was sort of thrown into it,” O’Shanassy explained honestly.
“Matt Lapsley was coaching Gippsland Storm, he invited me to come down, having played state netball with him, but circumstances made it impossible for him to continue.
“So, I put my hand up and coached State League netball which I felt was a good pathway opportunity…and 20-odd years later, here I am.”
While developing players is clearly his number-one focus – it’s in the Storm’s title after all – the 2006 season provided him with a career highlight.
Storm won the State League premiership, with O’Shanassy at the helm, defeating Ballarat by 20 goals in the grand final.
“That was the pinnacle of my coaching at Gippsland Storm for a number of reasons,” he said proudly.
“When I first came to Gippsland Storm, which was the merge of two clubs, from a junior and senior perspective the club didn’t really have any structure.
“Storm really wasn’t considered a successful club.
“But in such a short period of time, the club’s focus and purpose changed and we started to change the perception of what Gippsland Storm was.
“That 2006 season was a culmination of a lot of things.
“I’ve still got a framed photo at home of that team, and the 10 girls in that team epitomise what team is.
“They were 10 fantastic individuals, but they were so much more than that.
“It was the perfect season, for all the right reasons, from a club and individual standpoint.”
O’Shanassy has also crafted huge team success at 15-Under Division One level in particular, winning roughly 80-percent of Autumn and Spring season titles at Waverley Netball Centre since the Storm moved its junior and senior squads to the venue in 2008.
But premierships, well the head coach sees them as merely a by-product of personal development at the 15-under age-group.
“That’s still my focus because I think it’s the age group where the girls need to be given particular attention with their development so they can take that next step into VNL netball,” O’Shanassy said.
“A lot of girls I have coached have gone on to play VNL netball, especially now with our pathway through Hawks VNL, and that constantly reminds me that my number-one role is to develop the girls and not necessarily win premierships.
“We have the word development in out title – Gippsland Storm Elite Development – so that is always the number-one priority.
“But I always say to the girls, if we can prioritise our personal development then success will take care of itself.”
O’Shanassy believes he has developed his own coaching style through the last two years of a pandemic.
“One thing I have learnt through Covid, is that netball is the perfect example of empowering young women, making decisions and problem solving, and teaching them really good life skills,” he said.
“My perception of what is important and how to connect with my athletes has changed.
“I’ve always been firm but fair, but it’s now about empowering these young women to believe in themselves and to know that someone believes in them.”
The head coach estimates he has coached almost 1000 players at Storm, with many players and support coaches going on to achieve at higher levels of the game.
And yes, he does have his favourites.
“I could write a very long list, a biography of how players have made me proud, and why they make me proud, but I’d probably spend a week writing it,” he said laughing.
“All the players have been special in their own way.
“But in those early days, Lee Kitchin, Sam Hodge, Meg Evans, they all bring back memories and still stay in touch, which is the greatest sign of success.
“And now we have players like Keeley Burgmann, who has just signed with Hawks Open squad, and Eliza Molino, who has made state teams as well, and Sienna Green is another, but they’re all special.”
And O’Shanassy has already gazed into his crystal ball for the future.
“Olive Henry, at such a young age, her determination, behaviour, mannerisms, always giving 100 percent, always being respectful of her teammates and opposition, she was recognised by Storm by winning our club award this year,” he said.
“Olive is 13’s, promoted to 15’s during the year, and I think if we talk in five years’ time…Olive will be an absolute cracker.”
O’Shanassy believes being at Storm for so long, and adjusting to modern coaching, has been his greatest achievement.
“My greatest success is probably my longevity, seeing so many players and coaches come through, so many people that are committed to the club and want to see it succeed,” he said.
“Instilling our core values, our reputation, what we represent, inside and outside the club, is really important and something we take great pride in.
“The moment you, as a coach or an athlete, stop learning, developing or adjusting to changes, then you’re always one step behind the pack.
“That’s one thing that I have always prided myself on, over the course of time, always problem solving and trying to work out what’s best for the players and the team.
“We want our players to have the best education and the best opportunities and to be proud of their time at Storm.”
Gippsland Storm tryouts for season 2023 take place on Sunday 16 October and Sunday 23 October.
To register go to public Facebook Gippsland Storm www.netballtrials.com
