Tasman Makos: News

Makos - Making Her Mark
13-May-2009

Wayne Martin - Nelsn Mail
The whiteboard in Jenelle Strickland's office offers some insight into the new direction her life is heading.

She's only into her first full week as the Tasman Makos' new team manager and already her "to do" list is approaching daunting proportions.

Daunting to an outsider maybe, but the 28-year-old Massey University sports management graduate isn't fazed by what she's always considered to be her dream job.

To add to the mix, as far as anyone can ascertain, she'll be the only female team manager involved in this season's Air New Zealand Cup competition.

While the 2009 Tasman Makos squad hasn't even been announced and their first Air NZ Cup game is still some 11 weeks away, Strickland knows she won't have time to sit on her hands and trusts that all the peripheral issues involved with staging a rugby match will be in place by the time the players hit the field against Taranaki in Blenheim on July 30.

It's not all completely new for the self-confessed rugby enthusiast.

She joined the Tasman union in late 2007 as their professional development manager, a role designed to support, guide and assist the players in their personal and professional development, both on and off the field.

She sees her new full-time position, with some responsibility also as assistant marketing manager, as a natural progression from that role. "I'd always wanted to be involved in a sport somehow, particularly rugby," she said.

"I've enjoyed rugby for such a long time now, since I was a little girl, and I've played it as well, so I've always been involved.

"I suppose I always knew my strengths were in administration and organising, so it's just a dream to be able to have a go at managing a professional sports team, in particular rugby."

Strickland's unique position begs obvious questions about potentially awkward changing room situations.

"I don't see that as being an issue because the guys have been around a female in the changing rooms before. They've had a female physio [Lesley Ede] in the team, so they've been exposed to that kind of thing.

"I'm comfortable with it because it's not something I haven't seen before."

Originally from Rotorua, Strickland moved to Nelson with her parents as a 15 year old. She played netball for Nelson College for Girls, followed by a year at premier club level with Wanderers, as well as getting involved in touch, mountainbiking and tramping. She also played two seasons of rugby with the NCG 1st XV in 1997 and 1998.

She's managed to build up a kind of managerial support group. She worked closely with last season's Makos manager John Caldwell, knows former Taranaki and newly appointed Auckland team manager Mike Sandle and also spent time in Christchurch last week with Crusaders manager Tony Thorpe.

"They've just basically said, `Look if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call'. They want me to run the team how I want to run the team rather than following in their footsteps.

"Obviously, I know [Makos co-coach] Bevan [Cadwallader] already from working with the team in the past and I'm just starting to get to know [co-coach] Kieran [Keane] as well.

"I think the fact that I've been within the team environment already, with the professional development role, is beneficial because I obviously know the systems and where the team is heading."

However, there's one aspect of the job she hopes she never has to experience.

"I think the biggest challenge would be the first time I'm involved in disciplining a player, because I've gone from being the professional development manager, where I'm supposed to be supporting and looking after them not that the manager's not doing that but the manager's also the person who's making sure they abide by the rules and laying down the discipline if they don't."

She doesn't anticipate any problems, but she is looking to stamp her own mark on the team environment.

"It's really exciting and I've been looking forward to this kind of opportunity for a long time."