After 12 years representing Victoria in men’s netball across various junior and reserve divisions, Riley Richardson was selected in Australia’s Open team for the first time.
The announcement of Richardson’s elevation from training partner to the main men’s team was revealed following the Australian Men's & Mixed Netball Association (AMMNA) National Championships 2022 held back in April. It was a huge moment for Richardson, who in 2019, was doubting his ability to ever crack the top level.
“After being selected as a training partner after the 2019 Nationals, I had a real grapple with whether netball was something I truly loved, or whether I had the ability to make this team,” he said.
Richardson decided to persevere, dedicating himself to improving as a netballer over the next three years, even in the face of COVID-19 disruptions. In addition to training with the Victorian men’s team, Richardson continued playing for St Therese's Netball Club in the men’s division of MLeague (Victoria’s premier men’s and mixed netball competition), and for Parkville Panthers in the mixed division.
Since 2018, Richardson has also been involved with the Geelong Cougars in the Victorian Netball League (VNL — the premier state league competition for women’s netball in Victoria) as a training partner, and as an apprentice coach working toward his advanced coaching accreditation.
“Through this connection, I get the opportunity to sit on the bench during Championship division games observing some of the best coaches in the state: Gerard Murphy and Mel Savage,” Richardson said. “I also get the opportunity to train with the Championship team on Monday nights, which was extremely helpful in the lead up to our National Championships for both maintaining match fitness and enhancing knowledge of on-court structures.”
Last not least, for the last two seasons, Richardson has been the women’s A and B grade coach at Geelong Amateur Football & Netball Club playing in the Bellarine Netball League.
To be so immersed in netball is a dream come true for Richardson. Growing up in Warracknabeal, a small country town about four hours’ north-west of Melbourne, he wished to follow in his mother’s footsteps as a netballer, only there were no opportunities for boys to play.
“I grew up playing Australian rules, tennis, basketball — just about any other sport that was made available — [but] I had always felt an affinity for the game of netball, having watched my mum play as I grew up,” he said.
It wasn’t until Richardson was 16 that he begged his parents to drive him to Melbourne to trial for the state team. He instantly made the 17 & Under team, and later the Under 19s and Under 23s, until reaching the Victorians Open Men's side 2015.
It was through these years of training and development that Richardson discovered his skills as a midcourter, after initial stints in goal keeper and later goal attack.
“As my opponents got progressively taller and I stayed the same height, I found myself playing across the three midcourt positions. I like the nuances involved in each of the three midcourt positions — they’re all very specialised — and I like the challenge of adapting between them,” Richardson said. “At my core, I am a centre, and I love how much space there is to run, and being involved in the action at both ends of the court.”
Richardson is glad there are now more opportunities for young boys to take up netball but hopes these continue to improve as the sport grows. “I am hopeful that in addition to growth of the women’s game, and recognition of the elite nature of our top tier female athletes, that there will be parity, and that a national league will be established for men,” he said.
Increases to boys and men's participation in netball are already being seen at the junior level, such as Victoria’s 17 & Under team who dominated this year’s AMMNA National Championships. “We’re seeing more and more boys aged 12 to 15 entering the state program with netball being the primary sport they play, as opposed to cross code athletes who are trying something different,’ Richardson said. As a result, the skill level is improving in these age groups, which manifests in every successive age group in more traditional, well-skilled match play.
The top men’s players are also pushing the elite Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) teams to adapt to different playing styles when versing one another in training and pre-season matches.
“I think the SSN/state men’s dynamic is extremely beneficial for both parties,” Richardson said. “These girls are not only friends and colleagues — they’re players I idolise myself. As a team, their pace and skill are the most specific resource we have within the state, and it is great practice for us to work at this intensity for a full match.”
Now that he's made the Australian Open Men’s team, Richardson looks forward to wearing the green and gold later in the year, and for what’s gearing up to be a transformative time for netball.
“To me, making this team is the pinnacle for our sport. It is something that I earmarked very early in my netball career as an aspiration,” Richardson said.
“I love this sport, and I am so excited for what is shaping up to be a potentially huge growth period for netball and our community.”
Written by: Amelia Barnes
