Opinion: Who could be the next Roses coach?

Harriet Millard

Following the Commonwealth Games, England Netball will appoint a new permanent head coach. For me the brief is simple: find someone who can beat Australia, again and again.

The appointment must not be a safe one if the Roses desire to continue climbing. The decade long narrative of ‘closing the gap’ is now obsolete as England have reached major finals and have challenged the world’s best.

But only at times.

That narrative has been superseded by the need to win consistently at the very top, and that means to beat Australia time and time again.

To take nothing away from New Zealand, Jamaica and South Africa who all present huge challenges in their own right, Australia is the most consistent and dominant force, and England's biggest hurdle (indeed perhaps these other countries feel the same).

Understanding the fabric of Australian netball

The next England coach must intrinsically understand the Aussie netball mindset. A mindset that stems from a stringent coaching culture seeded in grassroots clubs and associations drilling youngsters on the basics of passing and catching before moving on to complicated structures. A mindset that includes the pride of the 'March Past' at season openers and netball festivals. And a mindset that sees utter focus and concentration in the pre-game national anthem, that sees teams win the mental battle before they've even stepped out on court.

To reflect that ambition, I've put together a profile criteria that is intentionally centred around that country. In my opinion, candidates should meet at least one of the following:

• Has coached Australia

• Has coached a national team to victory over Australia

• Has coached in Suncorp Super Netball and has experience at international level

The first name that immediately sprung to mind when writing this list was Norma Plummer, but on learning that she is 82 years old, I felt that the practical travel demands of leading an international programme could mean that she would be unlikely to accept the role despite being perfect for it. So in no particular order, here’s my shortlist:

Dan Ryan

Tenacious Dan Ryan is the current head coach of the West Coast Fever, where he led the team to their first Premiership in his first year in charge. Ryan has an extensive playing background as former captain of the Australian Sonix (mens national team as it was then called) and he has coached or assisted the following clubs in addition to Fever: Adelaide Thunderbirds, Manchester Thunder and Leeds Rhinos. Ryan’s experience is a blend of the Australian system, intensity, expectation and accountability, the English netball landscape, and international experience as head coach of Northern Ireland.

Lisa Alexander

A former Australia head coach who built a dominant era for the Diamonds, combining tactical precision, an enduring culture, and a long-term high-performance vision. Alexander has a global mindset; I once interviewed her as Diamonds head coach, following a game in which England beat Australia, and distinctly remember asking her if she were to take her Diamonds hat off and put her global hat on, what that result means for the global game - she answered without hesitation of the importance of the win in order for the sport to grow. Alexander has also spent time in the NSL with London Pulse, and understands the culture and ambition of England as a whole.

Briony Akle

Head coach of the NSW Swifts and one of SSN’s brightest home-grown talents, Briony Akle is a collaborative leader known for creating player-driven environments. She was at the helm of two SSN titles in her eight full seasons to date. She has also supported at international level as a specialist coach with both New Zealand and Tonga, attending the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town with the latter.

Tracey Neville

While Tracey has recently said publicly on Off the Court podcast that she thinks she is not right for the role, it would be remiss not to include her on this shortlist. She is the only English person who fulfils multiple criteria, she took England to a major gold medal on Australian soil, she's coached at SSN level, and to top it off she has passion in spades.

Wild card: Karen Greig

Head coach of AO Manchester Thunder, Karen Greig has recently shown her commitment to embedding Australian-level performance intensity throughout her pathway and daily training environment. Greig visited Australia to glean insight from the best, and while she does not yet have international coaching pedigree, if AO Manchester Thunder win the NSL this season, she may just have the ability to replicate those Aussie standards required to compete.

England has done the hard yakka to 'close the gap'. Now it’s about finding a coach who can take them past Australia, and I believe that all of these contenders could do it.