For Shimona Jok it was a hellish year.
The Collingwood Magpies disappeared as their players struggled to find contracts for 2024, the team ending up with the wooden spoon for a second time and an 11-week period without pay due to the ongoing CPA dispute, during which she got married, was put to the test. the absolute limits of it.
But there was light at the end of the tunnel for the Jamaican marksman, who was chosen last week as the Melbourne Mavericks’ 11th player in their inaugural season.
The signing was not without controversy, as the criteria set by the Super Netball league for the 11th player meant that the spot was for a promising Australian athlete who would be eligible to represent the Diamonds in accordance with the World Netball Regulations.
However, clever Mavericks coach Tracey Neville found a loophole in Jok’s permanent residency, and the move was approved to bring an experienced international and Super Netball star (70 caps) into the wider squad. of the Mavericks.
Jok was already set to have a $5,000 training partner contract with the Mavericks, but a move to the 11th spot means he will now receive a minimum six-month salary of $22,000, with the option to rotate in and out of the team. Matchday 10 for the Mavericks throughout the season.
Which is a lot more job security than Jok had thought he’d find this year, after, in his own words, “shit went sideways” in 2023.
“We’ve just had a little chat about the possibility of this happening, but we weren’t quite sure if it was going to happen with the guidelines that Netball Australia sent out,” Jok said.
“In the end we thought, why not try it? And if it doesn’t work, it’s okay, I’m still in the environment as a training partner.
“Knowing that 11th place was on the line, all I had to do was show up to training, work hard, be positive and show them that last year’s struggles aren’t going to define me.
“It will make me stronger, it will make me better and it will encourage me to work harder, so I am very grateful for the opportunity and I am not going to take anything for granted.”
Most of the noise surrounding Jok’s signing at age 11 comes from her involvement with the Jamaican Sunshine Girls organization since 2017, classifying her as an import and yet somehow still eligible for Diamonds.
But it’s not Jok’s fault that World Netball’s rules on changing a player’s allegiance seem to focus entirely on whether they took the court at the World Cup, which Jok did not do, as she was a reserve.
There has always been a bit of confusion surrounding World Netball’s eligibility rules. Many believed that if a player had represented one nation during a four-year World Cup cycle, then he should wait a specific period of time before representing another.
With Jok’s selection, that seems to have been disproven as long as they have not played in the main tournament and have a family link (parent or grandparent) or Australian residency for at least two years (not a temporary visa), which many imports may already have been granted to play in the Super Netball league.
Whether World Netball needs to adjust this as it appears to be mocking the national team is a debate for another day.
But knowing now that he is technically eligible to play for Australia, a country he has called home for seven consecutive seasons and has truly adopted the accent, ABC Sport was curious to know if his international aspirations were still 100 per cent with Jamaica . .
“Well, I’m still a bit 50-50 there, because I feel like my focus here, right now, is just trying to secure a Super Netball contract for next year,” Jok said.
“My priorities have changed because I don’t want to be in this position again, trying to find my place and figuring out where I went wrong.
“Representing the national team isn’t always going to be there, once the international games are over, it’s like what’s your real job? What do you do beyond that?”
So how would you respond if, say, Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich called?
“If I’m honest, I wouldn’t even know what to do,” Jok said.
“It would be a shock, but it’s also about having an open mind, maintaining respect and not just going out and doing whatever you want, you know?”
We know? He feels a little cryptic, but it’s a smart move for Jok to keep his options open.
When asked if he felt any frustration at missing out on a first-place finish to play for Jamaica in the World Cup and having to watch from the bench as a reserve, Jok had this to say:
“The only problem I had was that they didn’t tell me I was on the team until it was announced on social media, however, to still be a part of it I was very happy, mainly because of one person, and that person was Latanya Wilson.
“I went there with the intention of being his delivery girl, if he needed something for his recovery I would go get it, if he needed food I would go get it.
“Being able to be there for her gave me a different perspective on everything, and at the same time it helped everyone else, because it’s a high-pressure environment and sometimes team leaders only have two hands, and they could do well with an extra one.” . pair.
“If the girls needed to wash their water bottles, I did it, I cleaned up after them, whatever they needed, I was that person and I felt really privileged to do it, because I know I played a huge role in helping them win bronze “.
Standing on the podium and receiving a medal was one of the highlights for Jok in a year that seemed to bring a lot of bad news.
Another was to marry her partner, basketball player Buay Jok, who was her support throughout the entire process.
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Anyone who has planned a wedding before knows how stressful and challenging it can be financially; However, not many would have experienced it at the same time that his career was in jeopardy.
“Last year was very difficult, I’m not going to lie,” Jok said.
“Mentally, physically, emotionally… There were times when I told my husband ‘I don’t want to get married anymore, I don’t know what’s happening with my job.’
“I was frustrated, I wasn’t eating or sleeping, I just wasn’t thinking straight and he said, ‘It’s okay, we’ll get through this together.’
“We even went to Adelaide with my host parents – he’s a pastor – and he helped me realize that although this was happening in netball, I also have to think about my life outside of being an athlete and all the friendships and families that I have. I have. I have found.
“I leaned on them a lot: my host father, [VNL coach] Marg Lind and [her daughter] Maggie, [Collingwood coaches] Nicole Richardson and Kate Upton, and [Pies teammate] Geva Mentor, plus my husband of course, who is my personal teddy bear.
“I feel like I owe them a lot because sometimes I called them, I cried on the phone and after I hung up, I felt the most energy… They really helped me get through.”
As we approach the second round of Super Netball, there is every chance that Jok will be called up to represent the Mavericks against the NSW Swifts.
The team lacked a genuine target in the circle in the first round and put too much pressure on Eleanor Cardwell to carry out her attack, so someone like Jok could be a smart inclusion.
Jok also believes she has grown a lot as a player, representing the City West Falcons in the Victorian Netball League and treating criticism on social media as genuine feedback.
“I feel like defenders won’t know what to expect if I get the chance to play Super Netball, because last year’s Shimona Nelson is different to this year’s Shimona Jok,” she said.
“I may not go out on the field and that’s fine, at least I’m still in the group, observing, analyzing, taking notes, giving my opinion in training… I feel like I’m in a very good place, like a victory.” -winning situation.
“I’ve been working with Marg, adding variations to my game and I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ve also been using comments I’ve seen on social media.
“When they say I’m not a moving shooter and I need to create space, I take it on the chin and treat it as a very good answer, because I’m going to work on it.”