National polocrosse team prepares for world cup with coach thousands of kilometres away

In a dusty riding arena thousands of kilometres from her players, a coach of Australia’s World Cup polocrosse team works out how they’ll take their next victory.

Played on horseback between teams of six players, the sport combines elements of both polo and lacrosse.

Jane Marriott is a third-generation polocrosse player and coach based in Geraldton in Western Australia’s Midwest. 

But her players and their horses come from rural properties scattered across the country. 

Players and two other coaches preparing for next year’s World Cup in South Africa are based in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, which presents logistical challenges. 

The World Cup team is composed of four men and four women, who are drawn from the top Australian squad.

How does the Australian team prepare? 

As the competition nears, Marriott will fly east as often as twice a month to meet with the players at various polocrosse clubs.

Phone and zoom calls cover the weeks she can’t travel, with players often filming themselves practising.

“Each of the players comes up with a challenge each week,” she said.  

“They have to video it and then all the other players have to video themselves meeting that challenge.”

 Marriott has been coaching at a national level on and off for seven years.

Last year, under her guidance the Australian Women’s Polocrosse team rode to victory in a test series against New Zealand. 

They did it all over again this year against New Zealand and a team composed of top players from multiple countries. 

She started playing when she was six-years-old, encouraged by her grandparents who spearheaded the sport in WA, and went on to represent Australia for two decades.

What it takes to be successful

Other than being a great horse-rider and having strong hand-eye coordination, Ms Marriott said the sport required a level of fitness that only came with dedication and practice.

“There’s fitness for your horse as well as fitness for yourself,” she said. 

For the players, keeping “riding fit” isn’t something they need to think too much about, thanks to their rural lifestyles.

“A lot of them are riding all day for their jobs or whenever they can when they get home and are on property where the horses are used anyway,” Marriott said.

Untapped talent in WA’s Midwest

Despite next year’s World Cup players coming from eastern states, Ms Marriott said WA’s Mid West had long been a stronghold for polocrosse talent.

“For me previously, playing in the Midwest zone at zone champs has been some of the strongest polocrosse I’ve played internationally,” she said.

“I think there’s a strong horse community here in the Midwest, which makes a big impact for polocrosse.”

Ms Marriott said interest in the sport was picking up, particularly with junior riders, and she predicted a surge in talent from the region in the future.

“We’re very healthy with juniors at the moment. The future looks really good for the Midwest and for WA with the numbers of quality junior players that we have coming through,” she said.