Getting a team to work in synergy can be a tough challenge. However one team that has worked hard during the preseason has formed a strong bond, which will hopefully continue throughout the long summer.
The question is however, how do you get 15 men together to form an unbreakable connection?
Northern Knights head coach Grant Bradburn is holding the cards close to his chest. “I’m not prepared to reveal all our strategies,” he laughed. But he and assistant coach Graeme Stewart have worked tightly with the players to ensure they were at their peak when the season arrived.
Bradburn says there are a number of factors that come into play for the Northern Knights. “We’ve been very lucky to have some good opportunities with the timing of New Zealand A and Emerging Players tours during the off season and we chose to send six players to Australia,” he said. “It gave the players playing opportunities; it helps bridge the gap. 90 percent of our players have played during the off season.”
During the preseason the Knights were also flung out of their comfort zone and into the vast wilderness on a three day camping excursion. “It was a great chance to come together and do some leadership and team building activities,” Bradburn said. “We also had a catch up with all the news from over the winter and had a few jam sessions with the guitars, before getting into the batting and bowling side of things.”
The presence of music within the Knights team adds to the strong culture at the association. A number of players are talented on the guitar and assistant coach Graeme Stewart has been known to stretch the vocal cords. “Music is an important part of the environment,” Bradburn says. “Togetherness and a good culture is all part of a successful team. We’ve got a neat environment and have fun on and off the field.”
The culture at Northern Districts also focuses on family. Partners and children are included in a number of activities. “ND traditionally is a team that comes together really well. We’ve got a family atmosphere and we don’t exclude partners and families. The families are very much part of the team.”
Within the Northern Knights there is a good mix of senior players and younger guys coming through the ranks. Sometimes it can be hard to get the two generations to connect, however Bradburn says the players get along really well. “The older players are almost a father figure for the younger guys. The senior players take the young guys under their wing,” he said. “From a coaching point of view it’s great to have experienced guys who are driven to succeed. All of them have aspirations to play at a higher level or reach other goals. It’s important to be driven to keep improving and the younger guys really look up to them because of that.”
