Rigney Starting New Sports

Had it not been for a cruel twist of fate – and two torturous ACL injuries – there’s every chance World Cup rowing medallist and Tokyo Olympian Tara Rigney could be suiting up for the NSW Swifts netball team in this weekend’s Super Netball grand final against the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

Tara, is a New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete who aspires to emulate the feats of Australian rowing great, Kim Brennan AM, by winning an Olympic gold medal and world championship. However, just like Kim, who was a silver medallist at the 2001 World Youth Athletics Championships in the 400m hurdles before injury steered her towards rowing, Tara also excelled in a different sport.

After starring as wing defence for her school Loreto Kirribilli, and North Shore United in netball’s Premier League, Tara was selected for the 2016 and ‘17 NSW under 19s squad, a team which contained three future Swifts in Tayla Fraser, Teigan O’Shannassy, and Lili Gorman-Brown, while Matilda McDonnell would go on to represent the Swifts’ archrivals, the Giants.

Tara, who also competed in schoolgirl athletics, cross country, and rowing, proved yet again her stellar qualities as an elite rower when she powered to a silver medal at the recent World Rowing Cup II regatta on the idyllic Lake Varese, Italy.

When she was interviewed about her promising netball career by Rowing Australia correspondent Rupert Guinness during the Australian Rowing Championships last March, Tara revealed how a second ACL injury through netball – and the demanding rehabilitation associated with it, just 12 months after the first, was the catalyst for her to become a rower.

“I was playing for the Under 19 state team in 2016 and 2017,” said Tara. “Both times I ruptured my ACL.

“The first time I did my ACL, I couldn’t play netball for 12 months. By the time 12 months had come around, it was time to trial again for the team. So, I tried again for the team and was selected. I played four weeks. Then on a training session, I ruptured my ACL the same way for a second time.”

“There was a lot of soul searching that, in the end, made me go to rowing.”

About six months post-surgery, [Sydney University rowing coach] Alfie Young had remembered me from school. I hadn’t rowed for about three years. He reached out and asked: ‘Do you want to come down and try rowing at Sydney University?’ I was like ‘this will be a really good way to keep my fitness up for netball’.

“I went down and hopped in the single scull. I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed rowing at school but more because of the friendships. I didn’t have the passion I have now for the sport. As soon as I jumped in single, I thought ‘this is awesome’.

While rowing gained a supreme athlete who has so far captured two World Cup silver medals and  just as many bronze, one of the 23-year-old’s former NSW teammates – who is  preparing to beat the Perth-based West Coast Fever to progress to the grand final – was adamant netball lost a fierce and talented competitor.

“Tara was incredible,” said Tayla Fraser, who’ll play wing defence for the Swifts tomorrow night.

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While rowing gained a supreme athlete who has so far captured two World Cup silver medals and  just as many bronze, one of the 23-year-old’s former NSW teammates – who is  preparing to beat the Perth-based West Coast Fever to progress to the grand final – was adamant netball lost a fierce and talented competitor.

“Tara was incredible,” said Tayla Fraser, who’ll play wing defence for the Swifts tomorrow night.

“She was a bit of a ‘swing’ – Tara could swing between wing defence and goal defence. She was a player who was extremely athletic, you would think ‘oh, she’s not going to get to that ball’ and suddenly she had the ball in her hands – so, she was an incredible athlete, and I’m not at all surprised to hear that she’s now rowing for Australia.”

Nevertheless, Tayla said the injury which cruelled Tara’s netball career highlighted how brutal a sport it can be on the body.

“It was really disappointing for Tara, I’m pretty sure she had two or three ‘knees’ and they stopped her from progressing on that netball pathway,” she said.

“Netball’s not the nicest of sports when it comes to how it treats your body; you do whole lot of strength and conditioning work, and condition your body to take the load, and, unfortunately, sometimes, for some people – and in specific circumstances – their knees aren’t friends.

“It was super disappointing for Tara because she was that player who was so athletic, and who could jump so high and was so quick. But with your knee going it does impact that, and it obviously impacted her progression which was very disappointing.”

However, Tayla said she was pleased her former teammate has excelled in rowing.

“I’m sure when we were in the [NSW] team together, Tara didn’t even think that was a potential career path,” she said. “I’m so excited to see that she’s taken those hardships, and the learning she would have got from netball, and the disappointment of doing her knee, and really channelling that into something that is so incredible for her. I can’t wait to watch her and support her.”

Tayla said she would love to help Tara – a Swifts diehard  – on to her winning way by helping NSW Swifts take out this season’s grand final and then cheer her on as she reciprocated by seizing an Olympic gold for Australia in Paris next year.

“We’ll get our end of the deal done first, and she can head over and win the gold for us,” said Tayla with a grin.

Daniel Lane, NSWIS