Ferns’ young gun
Michaela Sokolich-Beatson might just be the netballer New Zealand can build their side around over the coming years. BRENDON EGAN speaks to the newest Silver Fern.
"She was unshakeable as a young kid. She enjoyed it when games were tough. Instead of backing off, she stepped up."
Former Mystics coach Debbie Fuller on Michaela Sokolich-Beatson
Michaela Sokolich-Beatson’s combative defence and resolute attitude shone through for all to see at one of her first trainings as an elite netballer.
The 21-year-old wing defence goal defence was the surprise selection in New Zealand’s 12-player squad for April’s Commonwealth Games last week. She is set to become Silver Fern No 169 during March’s Taini Jamison Trophy tournament, which serves as the final hitout before the year’s pinnacle event.
Sokolich-Beatson immediately announced herself when she gained a contract with the Auckland-based Mystics in 2016, refusing to take a backward step to senior shooters Cathrine Tuivaiti and star Silver Fern Maria Folau (nee Tutaia).
‘‘They didn’t like the fact this young buck was giving them a tickle in training,’’ former Mystics coach Debbie Fuller recalled.
‘‘She was a hustler. She hustled for every ball. She contested every catch. Sometimes, the older girls wanted to tone it down a bit.’’
Sokolich-Beatson’s call-up completes a swift rise, given she started competitive netball 10 years ago and has only been a fulltime defender since 2013. She’s played just 15 matches for the Mystics since her debut in 2016, but has been widely identified as one of the country’s most exciting young talents.
In July, she captained the New Zealand under-21 side to the Youth World Cup title, starring in the final at goal defence as Australia were upset 60-57.
Netball was far from her first love, with rugby and football early sporting passions because her brothers played them.
‘‘I hated netball. [I didn’t like] that the girls run around in skirts. It looked really girly, girly to me.’’
Sokolich-Beatson fell into the game when the Whangaparaoa Primary year-six team on Auckland’s Hibiscus Coast were short of a player. Mother AJ, the coach, begged her to go to training.
‘‘She said, ‘Can you come back next week?’ and I never left.
‘‘When I was starting off I thought Maria [Folau] was the bee’s knees because I was a shooter, not that I could shoot like her, but I wanted to.’’
Now, she’s not only a team-mate of Folau’s at the Mystics, but also the Silver Ferns.
Sokolich-Beatson, who is studying to be a physical education teacher at the University of Auckland, found out she’d made the Ferns while on placement.
She was so shocked she burst into tears when national coach Janine Southby phoned to tell her. International honours had come much quicker than expected. Twenty minutes later she had to teach a Year 11 class.
‘‘It’s so hard to explain working towards this your whole netball career and then it comes. It’s just a feeling of achievement really. Anyone who plays netball and they get
selected in a team like this, they know how it feels.’’
Sokolich-Beatson has recovered from a stress fracture in her back, which hampered her last year. She received medical clearance to play several months ago.
Coach Kiri Wills, who guided the New Zealand under-21s to the world title, first saw Sokolich-Beatson play at Whangaparaoa College. She had knocked back the chance to attend Rangitoto College, remaining loyal to her roots.
Wills believed playing for a team outside traditional college netball powerhouses forced Sokolich-Beatson to be a leader on court and had been instrumental in her development.
‘‘I just remember watching her and her team were getting pummelled and she just continued to go out and get intercepts to put them in a position to score.
‘‘There’s something about Michaela. She’s quite effervescent. Even as a schoolgirl she was out there giving it everything she had.’’
Sokolich-Beatson’s breezy demeanour and inability to sweat the small stuff reminded Wills a lot of former Silver Ferns skipper and defender Casey Kopua.
Her style of play has drawn comparisons to Kopua and another former Fern, Anna Harrison, with her ability to hunt the ball, long reach over the shot, and dogged determination.
‘‘Attitude-wise, she’s another Casey Kopua. For me, player-wise she reminds me of [former New Zealand defender] Belinda Charteris. Belinda was very good at getting around the body cleanly for tips and intercepts.’’
While many rookies might be intimidated matching up against Silver Ferns, and take time to adjust to the elite environment, Sokolich-Beatson flourished straight away.
Even before joining the Mystics, she was known for her work ethic, often carrying out extra training sessions at High Performance Sport New Zealand, craving extra information and desiring to be a better netballer.
‘‘She was unshakeable as a young kid. She enjoyed it when games were tough,’’ Fuller said.
‘‘Instead of backing off, she stepped up.’’
Fuller liked that 1.84m-tall Sokolich-Beatson didn’t give away many penalties, but still imposed herself physically. She was only scratching the surface of her potential and there was ample room for future growth.
‘‘She’s fearless. She still doesn’t know how strong she is. That’s really hard to play against when you’ve got an opponent like that.
‘‘She’s a no excuses kid. I think she’ll thrive [with the Silver Ferns].’’
Sokolich-Beatson has never worried about the names or reputations of opponents. That’s why she thinks she can handle the jump to the international ranks and won’t be overawed by world netball’s leading attackers.
‘‘I try not to focus on the other person, even if on the inside I might be slightly dying. It’s my job to defend them, so I’ve got to do that.’’