UC Capitals head coach Paul Goriss has developed a strong team culture and instilled self-belief in his players. Photo: Tim Gavel.
Without the profile of Ricky Stuart and Steve Larkham, Paul Goriss and Antoni Jagarinec have emerged as coaches of genuine quality in the face of adversity.
Goriss, as coach of the UC Capitals, has encountered one hurdle after another this WNBL season.
Star player Jade Melbourne is out for another month with a broken hand while veteran Sara Blicavs is leaving the club mid-season after receiving an offer she couldn’t refuse from a cashed-up team in the Chinese women’s league.
The loss of Blicavs with her leadership this season is a savage blow, but the 32-year-old leaves with the Capital’s blessing given the financial rewards on offer with the Chinese deal.
A team with incredible self-belief, the UC Caps. Photo: Events Canberra.
In the absence of both Melbourne and Blicavs through injury, the Capitals defeated the Perth Lynx 77-74 on 4 January in one of the more incredible finishes to a WNBL game in recent memory.
Twenty-one-year-old Nyadiew Puoch hit a three pointer from near half court with 0.7 seconds left on the clock.
The win against the higher-placed Perth leaves the Capitals in fourth place on the ladder with a run of eight games left before the playoffs, beginning with the Sydney Uni Flames away on Saturday night (10 January).
What Goriss has been able to achieve without two of his top players is testament to the strong team culture he has been able to create.
It has taken time to develop that sense of self belief, as the team seeks to play in its first finals campaign since the 2021-22 season.
Having worked with the Capitals a few years ago in a media advisory role, I witnessed firsthand how Goriss was able to instil that self-belief in young players in particular.
Another Canberra women’s team is also making its mark in a national league.
Plenty of Canberra followers of women’s football have been waiting for those outside the ACT to recognise the talents of Canberra United coach Antoni Jagarinec.
Antoni Jagarinec has turned around the fortunes of Canberra United. Photo: Capital Football.
Antoni had a golden decade in charge of the Belconnen United women’s team, with nine successive premierships in the Women’s NPL.
During coaching sessions he had with my daughter’s age level team, I saw how he was able to make every player in the squad feel as though they had an important role to play.
His philosophy resulted in success through a number of teams in Canberra.
The A-League Women now see that strategy in action with Canberra United currently leading the competition on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run. Their last loss was on 14 November when they went down 2-1 to Adelaide United.
Canberra United’s position at the top is poised to be challenged in the next month with second-placed Melbourne City playing a number of catch-up games.
In the meantime, Canberra United, a team facing the possibility of extinction, are in rarified air as ladder leaders and with a self-belief and ability that has the potential to win the competition.
