Kadlecek keen for what future brings
JUST 20 seconds into her time as skipper of the Northern Mendi Rays, Michaela Kadlecek’s rigorous work throughout the pre-season was brought undone.
But having endured what was her first serious injury alongside her partner, the Cairns Sharks centre is determined to ensure her setback does not hinder her return to the Sapphire Series squad.
Kadlecek suffered a hairline fracture in her patella moments into her captaincy debut for the purple outfit this year, coinciding with the ACL tear inflicted on her boyfriend; Northern Pride utility back Evan Child.
Kadlecek admitted she was shaken by the injury and was frustrated as she watched much of the Rays’ winless campaign from her bedroom.
But she said her comeback was well and truly in full swing, and watching Child battle through a more damaging issue put her demons into perspective.
“My partner plays for the Northern Pride and he did his ACL and meniscus. When I saw him go through that, he had it 10 times worse than me, so I thought I don’t have it bad and that was a motivational tool for me,” she said.
“It was mentally draining and tough. It was an honour to captain the side, but that injury really took a blow.
“He had it a lot worse than I did, and I was a bit of a big sook, but he put me in line very quickly. We motivate each other and I’m very lucky to have him. He’s a big boy, and I’m very lucky to have someone that is in a state league and knows what I’m going through.
“It was hard watching from my bed when I was wounded, but I tried to help the team as much as I could in terms of training and through social media asking where the girls’ heads were at. It was really tough, but the girls did so well, the score never reflected how they played.”
Kadlecek returned to the court late in the 2021 season, a moment she said made her so nervous it was as though she was “playing state league for the first time”. Now fully fit, Kadlecek is eager to see what a pair of marquee Rays recruits to do and the direction it could take North Queensland netball in the future.
With former Firebird Beryl Friday and Waikato Bay magic shooter Kelsey McPhee entering the fold, the side now has two attacking options with a plethora of elite level experience.
It is not just what they can do on the court which has Kadlecek excited for what might come. As the region pushes for a Suncorp Super Netball side in coming years, she said it was their influence on the wider community which would be most telling.
“I guess it’s just getting experienced players up our end. We see it in rugby league where we have experienced players coming into the cities and building the team,” Kadlecek said.
“I’m so excited to have such talented and experienced players, especially in our goal line, and I think that’s what we lacked this year. We had quite a few injuries in our shooting circle (in 2021). Rebecca (Rounds) came off and that was her first season back from an ACL injury, Chantelle Tikitau had a knee dislocation.
“I think there’s a lot of stepping stones, but it would be amazing to see a North Queensland team in the SSN competition.
“We’ve got a long way to go but we’re definitely heading in the right direction.”