Leaving babies behind would have been impossible for players moving in to a Melbourne hub but thanks to a new deal players don’t have to.
Tackling hotel quarantine with a young baby hardly seems the perfect preparation for a crucial Super Netball clash.
But if motherhood has taught Gretel Bueta one thing over the past six months, it’s that she’s not in control.
So having to scramble out of Queensland and hunker down in a Super Netball hub in Melbourne with an infant in tow was just another obstacle Bueta was ready to clear in a bid to help the Queensland Firebirds ignite their season 2021 revival.
The Firebirds arrived in Melbourne late on Tuesday not knowing how long they will be in Melbourne or even when their weekend game against the Giants would be played given the rescheduling needed after the season was pitched another Covid curveball.
But Bueta, who missed last year’s competition when pregnant with Bobby and returned to the court this season after giving birth in January, was far from flustered.
“You just have to let go,” the Firebirds goaler said.
“That’s the best thing that Bobby’s taught me, you can’t try and control anything with babies, they’ve got a mind of their own so you just go with it.
“And I think we do the same here. We’re here now, we know there’s six other teams here as well, so we’ll just go with it and hopefully get to play as many games as we need to here before things change.”
Bueta, who was in hotel quarantine until returning a negative Covid test late Wednesday, has been accompanied to Melbourne by Bobby and husband Niko.
The pair‘s ability to travel with her is covered under the Collective Player Agreement which provides support for an infant carer to attend matches if a player has a child under 12 months.
It’s a policy Bueta said alleviated stress, especially in a Covid world where eleventh-hour travel and extended periods on the road were inevitable.
“I think it’s huge and it makes it doable,” Bueta said of the policy.
“I was able to bring Bobby and I’m very thankful for my husband’s boss who (found out about the unscheduled trip) at the last minute and let him come with us as well.
“I still love the game so much and it brings me so much joy and I’m so grateful to be able to do that and have Bobby and Niko with me.”
Bueta has been among the Firebirds‘ best this season, although she and teammates have been frustrated by an inconsistency that has the Queenslanders now long odds to make the finals.
“I feel like we just need something to click. We’ve been training really hard, we’ve got great coaches, we’ve got the team to do it, we’ve just got to put it all together,” Bueta said.
“We’ve had some really close games but we just need to get some wins on the board.”
That’s a tough ask against the Giants, who head into Round 9 in second place on the competition ladder having lost just three games this season.
“I think Giants are playing very well this season and they’ve got a lot of really great weapons in their side but ones we know we can match if we stick to our game plan and our structures that help us exploit their weaknesses,” Bueta said.
“It’s a game that really excites me because I know it’s going to be a big challenge for us but I fully believe we can beat them if we stick to our game plan.
“When we do all click and are on the same page and firing at the same time, it‘s pretty special and fun to be a part of out on court together when we’re humming.”