"I’m just trying to be the best captain that I can be for my teammates and England. Whatever it is that’s best for the team, I just want to be able to do that."
Friday 24 April 2020 08:22, UK
After an incredibly successful period of her career, England's Vitality Roses captain Natalie Haythornthwaite joined Sky Sports' Off The Court and reflected on the path to leading her country and shares the keys to being a successful WA.
In 2017, Wasps Netball beat Loughborough Lightning 55-51 in Birmingham and won their first Grand Final in their maiden season of existence. Haythornthwaite was at the heart of that victory and unbeknown to her, it would mark the start of a three-year period of great on-court success.
A Commonwealth Games gold medal, retaining the Superleague title with Wasps and a bronze medal at the Netball World Cup all followed. Plus, a move to the NSW Swifts added a Suncorp Super Netball title to boot.
"Just hearing you say what's happened over those three years gives me goosebumps on the back of my neck again," Haythornthwaite said to Tamsin Greenway on Sky Sports' Off The Court.
"It's just so special. I'm very grateful to have been a part of those experiences, to have achieved those things and to have made as many friends as I have during that time."
The road to securing the titles and gaining major championship medals wasn't plain sailing for the WA/GA though and for Haythornthwaite, sharing that was the case is important for others to know.
"It was tough. If you'd have told me eight months before the Commonwealth Games that I would have been going, I probably would have told you that you were wrong.
"The hard work that you put in to get there and the injuries along the way - I remember with my hamstring [before the 2019 World Cup] it was terrifying as I didn't know if I was going to get back in time. I worked my butt off to be able to get back.
"It is part of sport. It's challenging but it's made me who I am in terms of how resilient I can be, how driven I am as an athlete and I'm willing to put in the hard work.
"Those type of things [injury, de-selection], help you learn more about yourself, your values and what you want to achieve.
It's not always a smooth-sailing journey but that makes it even more special in the end.
With the Suncorp Super Netball competition postponed until at least June 30, the usually Sydney-based Haythornthwaite is back in the UK with her fiancé and continuing to work on her fitness from home.
Like many professional sports people, she's developed a new routine and is leaning on those around her and her team for support.
"Our S&C staff at Swifts have sent us a schedule through. It has a set structure for the week and then when it comes to the individual sessions, they've given us five that you can pick from to keep it fresh and mixed up.
"Keeping that routine in place and that type of structure has worked well for me, but it's important to remember that you're not going to feel motivated every day.
"Every day isn't going to be smooth with really high motivation, and that's alright."
This is the type of honesty and openness that endears Haythornthwaite to her teammates and those within team environments that she's a part of.
Her personality, coupled with her exceptional attacking ability, led her to be asked by Jess Thirlby to lead England as captain.
"She's approachable, positive and knows what it takes to win," Thirlby said of Haythornthwaite.
"I believe she has developed more of the grit, robustness and resilience needed to lead on some of the biggest stages and there is more depth to her leadership now. She represents the values and behaviours we care about most as a Roses team and leads by example out on court."
I’m just trying to be the best captain that I can be for my teammates and England. We’ve worked so hard on our culture and whatever it is that’s best for the team, I just want to be able to do that for them and learn as I go.
In England's final game of the Vitality Nations Cup earlier this year Haythornthwaite celebrated her 50th international appearance and finished the competition having played every minute of every match.
Throughout the series, regardless of the opponent, she stepped up. Haythornthwaite led by example and coupled fluid work in attack with game-changing defensive moments. She gave it everything and left it all out on court.
"For me, when I got asked to be captain [by Jess Thirlby] it was a huge honour.
"At the Commonwealth Games and Netball World Cup, I was fortunate to play under epic leaders like Ama Agbeze and Serena Guthrie. I've definitely been learning on the job and have taken as much experience as I can from any opportunity that I get.
"I know that if I ever did need some support, we've got a group with England in which I can turn to anyone and ask for it. We've got a team full of leaders."
As someone who plays across the positions of GA and WA, Haythornthwaite is a rare breed amongst netballers.
In her own words, when it comes to international netball, the position of GA "another string to my bow" but WA is where she feels most comfortable, and there are specific facets to excelling there.
"It's about being able to set up the attack-end," she shared. "I want to get my shooters into the best position possible, keep it fresh and keep creative.
"The biggest thing for a WA is controlling the game. I want to be able to control the attack-end. So, controlling the centre pass, communicating with my GA, C and GS about what that's going to look like and ultimately, setting up the plays.
"Being able to open up the court, look down, see all of the options and get creative with it. Controlling the attack-end is the fun part - you can be as creative as you want."
Enjoy the full episode of Off The Court at the Sky Sports YouTube channel in which Haythornthwaite also discusses life in Suncorp Super Netball and her thoughts on the Roses' bright future.
