A self-confessed perfectionist, GIANTS Academy youngster Monika ‘Otai credits a large part of her rapid rise to improving the mental side of her game as the talented teen prepares for her next big challenge.
After picking up a netball only a little over four years ago, the 17-year-old goaler is now a gold-medal winning captain of her country following Australia’s successful debut at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Tobago last week.
Also Australia’s flag bearer at the Games, the Sydney teenager’s whirlwind rise through the ranks of the nation’s brightest young stars continued on Sunday after being named the Nance Kenny OAM Player of the Year in Netball NSW’s Opens Premier League competition.
Following her eye-catching season with UTS Randwick, in what was her debut in the state’s open age premiere competition, it’s fair to say the recognition as the Most Valuable Player was quite a shock to the level-headed youngster.
“I had literally just landed home on Monday [following the Youth Commonwealth Games] and I got a text message from my coach Ali Tucker congratulating me and it was a huge surprise,” ‘Otai said.
“I told myself to make the best out of the opportunity [stepping up to Opens] and show the coaches and other people why I deserve to be in the division.
“It was my first year in Opens and I didn’t even expect to get any court time so looking back I’m very happy, but it was definitely not expected.
Quick to praise her teammates for their guidance and support, ‘Otai said another key force behind her rapid improvement was through the mental side of the game, as well as her behaviours off the court.
“My teammates are obviously very experienced so I tried to soak up as much as I could and learn from them and without them in training and pushing me really hard, I wouldn’t have got the MVP.”
“I’m a harsh critic of myself but I think my confidence has grown a lot and that’s helped me a lot too,” she said.
“I always want to be perfect, but my mental side of things has come a long way.
“Because I’m young, If I miss a shot then usually I would dwell on that but I’ve learnt to let it go and know that there’s other opportunities.
“That’s been a big thing for me in my improvement, along with my confidence.
“Then my off court high-performance behaviours have helped a lot. Knowing how important nutrition and hydration and those sorts of things are has been huge.
“I didn’t really prioritise those things before, so focusing on them has really helped me this year.”
As she prepares for her next big step, representing the GIANTS Academy at next week’s Australian Netball Championships for the first time, the well-spoken teenager took time to reflect on her journey so far.
“I’ve always been tall but I was very ‘unco’ [uncoordinated] at the start and there was just limbs going everywhere,” the youngster recalled.
“I wanted to play rugby at one point, but that never really worked out,” she laughed.
“I started playing netball when I was 12 I think it was, because my cousins were playing and I wanted to join in the fun, but I didn’t really play sport before that.
“I didn’t make my first ‘rep’ team in the ‘13s’ [13 and under] but then I made it the next year and I just kept trying with trial and error.
“Then I didn’t get into state for the first year of 17s but then I tried again and got in, then from there I made ‘Aussies’ [Australian 19U squad] and the GIANTS [Academy], so it’s been fun, I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Just five days since returning from Tobago with a gold medal around her neck, ‘Otai is already focused on her Australian Netball Championships [ANC] debut beginning Monday.
“I’m really excited about it,” she said.
“A lot of the other girls are very experienced and If I get a chance on the court then I’ll do my best, but I’m just happy to be there.
“Premier League is the highest league in New South Wales but ANC is so different because you’re versing other training partners and players in Suncorp Super Netball.
“It’ll be a very different experience for me but I’m just excited to soak it all up.”
‘Otai will look to continue her ascent as one of the stars of the future during the Championships when she represents the GIANTS against 10 other teams from state and territory Member Organisations and Suncorp Super Netball clubs.
The event, in its second edition of the revised open age championships, will run from Monday, August 21, to Sunday, August 27 at Morayfield Sports and Events Centre in Brisbane’s north.
