QUT sports science student Natalie Honnery has spent the Queensland Reds’ 2023 season learning how to help maximise the team’s performance as part of her university degree and a QUT-Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) partnership.
Natalie is a third-year Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science student and began a 12-month internship with the QRU last November during the Reds’ pre-season training.
The work placement is part of her course and provides credit toward her degree.
The opportunity with the Reds has also come about thanks to the three-year QUT-QRU partnership, which is enabling work-integrated learning opportunities for students at Ballymore and providing potential education pathways for players.
It’s an exciting time for the students to be involved with the QRU and Ballymore.
Queensland’s historic home of rugby in inner Brisbane has undergone major redevelopment over the past 18 months and last week opened its new $30 million National Rugby Training Centre and new McLean Stand.
Ballymore has also been slated as a possible Olympic venue for hockey at the 2032 Games.
During the 2023 season, Natalie has headed to Ballymore two or three days each week to assist the Reds’ performance analysts.
It’s an area of expertise she already had a strong interest in. Last year, she completed an internship as a volunteer performance analyst with the Queensland Firebirds and Netball Queensland.
Natalie grew up in Mackay with three older brothers and played netball and touch football at school, then started playing rugby when she moved to Brisbane for uni.
“This year was the first time in 17 years I haven’t played any sport … but I really wanted to put the internship and my final year of uni first,” she said.
Natalie said her Reds internship had enabled her to get on-the-job experience using one of the industry’s most popular software programs – Hudl.
Her work at Ballymore has included helping to film training sessions and compile packages of highlights with accompanying analysis.
“They’ll do a team session and then split into groups, and we film the backs and forwards separately,” she said.
“Then we break up the footage and minimise a two-hour session into a half-hour video of all the important elements, and we upload it and send it to all the players and coach to review.
“During the season we also did reviews of the opposition’s previous game with highlights and statistics and what to look out for.
“Then there’s the game analysis, including real-time analysis that is fed back to the team post-match. I’ve had the privilege of being able to watch Eoin McVeigh (the Reds’ Head of Performance Analysis) using the software to mark-up the video feed in real time and do live coding. I hope that one day I get to that place and professionalism where I can do that.”
Natalie said statistics were ‘a performance analyst’s best friend’, but people interested in studying sport science didn’t necessarily have to be great at maths.
“But you do have to have an interest in numbers,” she said.
“There’s so much incredible software these days that do the majority of work, but understanding the numbers is the most important part. It takes a lot of time to learn the software and you have to be able to communicate what those numbers mean. Showing someone a big screen of statistics can be intimidating – you have to be able to ‘speak’ it. I don’t want to waste a coach’s time.”
Natalie said the internship had cemented her knowledge that she was on the right career path.
“I really love this work and I know it’s what I want to do after I finish my degree,” she said.
“To me, it’s so exciting to realise how impactful performance analysis is … it’s so central to a team and their success.
“We learn about performance analysis at uni, but this internship has taken it to a whole new level.
“The biggest question I get asked about the internship is: How does it feel being a female in such a male dominated sport? But it’s been such a respectful, professional experience right from the start.
“All the players and coaches came up and introduced themselves when I started – it was so welcoming and everyone is so kind. There’s a mutual respect they all have for each other and they show so much respect to the staff.”
People can learn more about studying sport and exercise science – and other QUT degrees – at the QUT Open Day on July 30 at the Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove campuses.
QUT Media contacts:
- Mechelle McMahon, media@qut.edu.au
- After hours, 0407 585 901 or media@qut.edu.au
