Leaving two of her kids behind to join a hub was one thing, but then being sent into 14 days quarantine meant more time apart for this star coach.
Super Netball‘s year from hell is transforming into its season of gratitude as players forced into a countrywide scramble to keep the league alive acknowledge their fortune at being able to continue to do what they love while millions are forced into Covid lockdown.
Netballers forced into multiple interstate moves and quarantine conditions several times in the past month – some while travelling with young children – are determined not to complain about their situations.
The Sydney-based Giants and NSW Swifts – who occupy the top two spots on the Super Netball ladder – faced yet another hurdle this week as teams fled Adelaide to beat South Australia‘s Covid lockdown.
The Swifts flew out of Adelaide to Brisbane on Tuesday night, relocating for the fifth time since leaving Sydney last month.
But they were without coach Briony Akle and their team physio after both women were forced into isolation having been identified as close contacts of patrons of a tier 1 exposure site in Melbourne last week.
The Giants were also ordered to stay in Adelaide before a late change in their level of potential exposure to a Covid hotspot allowed them to fly to Brisbane.
Amid the constant obstacles, Akle has outlined what keeps the clubs not just hanging on but thriving in unique circumstances.
In quarantine in Adelaide with two of her four sons – Xavier, 5, and Charlie, 12, travelled with Akle to Brisbane a month ago during school holidays expecting to rejoin brothers Sam, 12 and Sebastian, 15, in two weeks – Akle could be expected to be a nervous wreck separated from her team and family.
She is desperately missing her husband and the two sons she has not seen for four weeks but is not only calm but grateful for netball‘s situation.
“Let’s make all of these sacrifices count and not make it in vain that we’ve got this far,” Akle said.
“We’ve all had quarantine rules, but at the end of the day, we’re still healthy, we’re still getting to play sport.
“Other people’s jobs have shut down, my husband’s (hairdresser and salon owner Sarkis Akle) salons are closed.
“At least we’re still doing what we love.”
Giants defender April Brandley was also forced into solo hotel quarantine with son Clay, 17 months, after the West Australian government slammed shut its borders as the team was flying across the Nullabor earlier this season.
“You do have to acknowledge that (the current situation) is not ideal, like going to Perth and having to quarantine, that was really tough,” she said.
“But I feel like that trip has made us a lot more resilient and we’re ready for anything that gets thrown at us.
“I’ve been super impressed by the group, we’re just getting on with the job. We can’t control it, we’re grateful to be able to do what we love, playing sport.
“Obviously, it‘s quite challenging when they tell you you’re leaving wherever you are in two hours and you have to pack everything up, but we’re getting on with the job and everyone’s got a good perspective at the moment and we’re keeping a good vibe around the team.”
Akle conceded there were plenty of “human emotions” when she learnt she had been declared a close contact of someone possibly exposed to the virus and would have to isolate.
“But I’ve just come to realise that every day is different with Covid and I think that’s what’s got me through,” she said.
“There’s so many people that are worse off. I’m healthy, my family’s healthy, I’m in a nice place.
“Of course I was devastated but knowing that we‘re Covid free and it’s a precautionary thing and it’s like what tens of thousands of Melbournites are doing … I’ve completely changed my view to go, what can I do now to help my team.
“I’m still talking to them, I watch training virtually – Covid just presents you with a way to become an agile thinker and that’s probably what I’m taking it as.”
Brandley said the players felt a collective responsibility to keep playing for the greater good of the sport.
“For a sport that‘s still in that growth phase, as long as it’s safe, if we can keep playing, then that’s what we want to do,” she said.
“If we can get over the last month, we can do anything. All the netball teams, even though we‘re competitive, are binding together and supporting each other … and we’re all in it together for the greater good of the sport.”