Twenty-year-old Kiesha Muckan has already made her family proud but readily admits she’s hungry for more after her experience in the Black Swans, Australia’s official Indigenous netball squad.
As a two-time member of Queensland's First Nations team, currently vying to be named for a third straight year, Muckan is plying her trade for the Moreton Bay City Pulse in the HART Premier Netball League (HPNL) Sapphire division.
“Last year I was in the Ruby team, but this is my first Sapphire contract with the club,” Muckan said.
“I’m loving it, the environment, the girls, the coaching, it’s been a pretty good start to my season.”
Muckan has bloodlines to the Quandamooka, Kabi Kabi and Yuggera peoples, with a connection to Boigu Island in the Torres Strait.
With the HPNL celebrating First Nations Round this weekend, Muckan believes it’s an opportunity for everyone to come together.
“I do think it’s very important to celebrate it, and to appreciate the land that we’re on,” she said.
“As much as we get the special bibs, and some teams have dress designs, I already embrace it, but I know it’s important for others to celebrate. Pulse players already have Indigenous sweat towels we use every week, not just for First Nations Round, which is good.”
In her first official Sapphire season, Muckan has so far seen plenty of court time at wing defence and centre.
“Most of the teams in Sapphire are pretty close,” she said.
“There’s not that massive gap between teams, with the results reflecting how even the competition is. It’s a good competitive environment and sides have different styles of play.”
Which is something the Pulse addresses on a weekly basis at training, when planning for their next opponent.
This Sunday at Nissan Arena, it’s the Carina Leagues Club Tigers, a side that’s won just the one game this season yet is no less formidable than opposition at the pointy end of the ladder.
“We focus more on our game plan, but if we see patterns in different teams, we’ll address them,” Muckan said.
“We do what we can to perform the best that we can.”
Which should hold Muckan in good stead when this year's Queensland First Nations team is announced in the coming months.
“To me, playing for a First Nations team shows that no matter where you come from, you can still make it,” she said.
“There’s always a pathway for you, and it doesn’t have to be through traditional means. It means a lot to represent my culture and show the young ones that you don’t have to have shame about where you come from."
Netball Queensland's NetballQ TV, the home of community netball in Queensland, is delivering live and free coverage of the state’s most exciting grassroots and pathways competitions, including the HART Premier Netball League Sapphire and Ruby Series. Click here to access NetballQ TV.
