We Are Canterbury / Get to know Head Tactix Coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek

Tactix Head Coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek shares the story of her career

in the sporting world, and how she was inspired by her family.

Growing up in Temuka, sport played a big part in the Delaney household. Marianne Delaney-Hoshek, the youngest of three, a talent in netball, basketball, touch and athletics was never far from a game of some sort. And with her mother Anne, a teacher and pretty handy basketballer herself, there was a high possibility that Marianne would follow in Anne’s footsteps and become a teacher or a coach. ‘I think coaching is teaching, and there’s a real synergy between the two in a way because when you’re coaching, you’re always teaching. It could be a lesson in character off court – you’re always teaching.’

But perhaps it was her dad John, a member of the Armed Offenders Squad that unknowingly shaped her desire to coach at the high-performance level. ‘Dad always had quite high standards. He’s always been really calm and collected and he’s amazing at performing under pressure, nothing really fazes him. He’s really optimistic too – he was diagnosed with terminal cancer 10 years ago and was only given three to six months at the time. He is a living example of how positive thinking can help prolong life.’

As part of High-Performance Sport New Zealand’s

Coach Accelerator Programme, she has learned of the similar demands between her role as a coach and one her dad would have performed in the Armed Offenders. ‘Part of our course is working with the Armed Offenders. We have to complete these exercises where you have to take control of a group

and clear a room, like you might in a police raid. There is an objective and you have to get it completed by being a leader and getting people to do what you need them to do. We are put under pressure to make quick decisions and this is exactly what coaching is all about.’

Despite those coaching genes being evident from the age of 15, when she volunteered to coach the Marian College (then) third-form A Basketball team, like most other young ladies growing up in New Zealand at the time, Marianne had other things on her mind – namely playing for, not coaching, the Silver Ferns. ‘I stopped playing basketball and got heavily involved in netball.’

By age 16 she had been selected to play in the Bendon League, which later became the Caltex Cup, a local, amateur version of what would become the ANZ Premiership.

For the next six years, she’d chip away in Christchurch playing for St Nicks and Canterbury representative teams, refining her game from the shooting circle to the midcourt, adjusting to the fact everyone else seemed to be getting taller and she wasn’t. As a PE teacher she continued coaching every year at school level. By age 22, not having made a national squad, she decided to go travelling and booked a one-way ticket to London. It was in London she met her husband Mike.

But even then, her passion for netball never diminished, signing on for a couple of years playing county netball in

England for Middlesex and being selected for the London Hurricanes. She also continued coaching teams at the schools she worked at.

Returning to New Zealand five years later, Wellington became home for the best part of a decade, which is where her coaching career really started to take shape. Whilst still playing representative netball for Wellington, coach Waimarama Taumaunu hauled her into the then Capital Shakers to lead some fitness and skills sessions. Then coaching the Wellington U21s and NPC team followed. ‘I had some real success with Queen Margaret College and Wellington U21s and thats when the real opportunities began.’

A couple of years later an opportunity arose to join coaching legend and now long-term mentor Robyn

Broughton at the Central Pulse. Then came national roles with New Zealand secondary schools and NZA.

‘I think that was really key for me. I’d learned how to play in Canterbury, then a different style in the UK and then in Wellington it was different again. The same for my coaching. Robyn had been at Southland, and then came to Wellington. I’ve been really lucky to be exposed to lots of different systems, styles and coaches.’

With two small kids now in tow, the chance to return to Christchurch and be closer to the tight-knit Delaney family was too good to turn down. Ironically though, that opportunity didn’t come from Marianne, but husband Mike who was initially offered a job in the Garden City. ‘Mum and Dad live one street over and my sister lives one street the other way; having kids it’s awesome to have them close by for support.’

Marianne put the feelers out and an opportunity to join the Tactix was soon on offer. A roller coaster role, where the scoreboard tells of a story that included more downs than ups, and after two and a half years morphed into the opportunity to lead the franchise as head coach. ‘That was a crazy few weeks; we only had a few games to go in the season and I think I lost about 5 kgs that week!’

In the midst of preparing for the week ahead, the phone rang off the hook, with offers of support from the likes of Tall Blacks Coach Paul Henare, Cricket legend Shane Bond and plenty of others, all of whom Delaney-Hoshek has formed strong supportive relationships with as part of the accelerator programme. ‘They just rang to offer their support and see if I was okay, and if I was prepared. How could they help out? It was really awesome to have their calls and know that everyone’s got your back.’

With no guarantees of the head coaching role beyond the season’s end, Delaney-Hoshek ploughed in headfirst.

The results came and the job offer to remain in that position followed.

With her planning and purpose set, the recruitment of assistant coach Julie Seymour, and a few changes to her roster, the 2018 season was their best yet. ‘We were stoked, really happy. But equally, missing the grand final and finishing third was a sign of how far we’d come but also, we were so close, and wanted to be in that final more than anything.’

Their pre-season training of army drills and relentless fitness sessions is a clear indication of their desire to be even better in 2019. However, season-ending injuries to Silver Ferns Temalisi Fakahokotau and Erikana Pedersen, two key players at each end of the court have turned this season into a lesson in resilience and self-awareness rather than celebration and the chance to challenge for the top two positions.

‘Because of those injuries we are relying on a number of girls in their second or even their first year of full-time professional netball.’

Drawing on some of her father’s optimism, Marianne’s choosing to look on the bright side. ‘Next year, those girls will be in their third and second year and will have already learnt some lessons that they might not have otherwise.’

Perhaps it’s some of that optimism that has seen her join an elite few in New Zealand, coaching her 100th game of elite-level netball. Her commitment was repaid that night by the Tactix upsetting their more fancied opponents, the Northern Stars, a team stacked with current and former Silver Ferns. ‘Having my family and friends there, that was really special!’

Their pre-season training of army drills and relentless fitness sessions is a clear indication of

their desire to be even better in 2019.