Latest news with #SamCoughlan
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Tough time on the training turf
Sports reporter Sam Coughlan has trained in the boxing ring, been pummelled at rugby union and league practices, and had rings run around him at football and netball training. In the final part of the series, he hits the hockey turf to train with the Marist premier team Of all the sports I've tried so far, I think I felt the least comfortable playing hockey. It didn't help that the skill level was much higher than in the other sports – instead of regular club players, I found myself alongside several athletes who have either represented or are tipped to represent the Black Sticks. So, it's no surprise I struggled. It took me a while just to figure out how to pick up and hold the stick properly and control the ball. We began with a warm-up of bear crawls, short bounds, and skips, before moving into a brutal sprint drill. Starting on our knees, we had to spring up – which is harder than it sounds – and sprint to a line. After several reps, knees aching from the turf, we did the same thing but turning at the line to sprint back to the start. My lack of turf shoes comes back to bite me, losing my footing on several occasions. Finally let loose with a stick, I try to find my technique taking penalty corners, flicking the ball to a player at the edge of the circle. After a couple of poor attempts, I received some tips on technique – it helps when your teacher is Black Stick Charlie Morrison, a key player for Marist. Next, I tried shooting – experimenting with drag flicks, regular flicks, and even trying to give it a golf-style whack. None were successful. Most shots dribbled wide or went straight to the keeper – if I connected with the ball at all. A later drill, where a midfielder passes to a winger who then sets up a striker to score, boosted my confidence. I've worked out how to control the ball and play a pass, although getting much power behind any shots is proving difficult. When the team began a half-field game, I was advised to sit it out. Probably wise, considering my tiny football shin pads, lack of a mouthguard, and just 30 minutes of hockey under my belt. Watching the teams clash proved thrilling. The ease and accuracy with which they moved the ball was incredible, especially compared to my clumsy, off-target efforts. Like with every other sport I've thrown myself into, I loved the challenge of trying something new and picking up a few basic skills, even if it's abundantly clear I'm so far off the pace it isn't funny.
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Outpaced, outpassed and run ragged on the netball court
Sports reporter Sam Coughlan has been beaten up in the boxing ring, thumped on the rugby league and union fields, and had his ego bruised at football training. This week he reports on training with the Technical A netball team. I had no idea what to expect heading into training with a netball team. Like most of the other sports I've tried in this series, I have zero experience – apart from watching the odd game on TV and a handful of PE classes in high school. It seemed simple enough – just catch, pass and run. Right? That's what I thought, despite netball-playing friends warning me it was far harder than it looked. As it turned out, the Technical A netball team, runners-up in last year's Premier 1 competition, were at a much higher level than my year 10 PE class. During three-on-three drills, my shortcomings were quickly exposed. On defence I twisted and turned, hopelessly trying to keep up as the ball was passed in rings around me. On attack, I struggled to find any options beyond making a simple short pass. We started with a warm-up – quick footwork, stretches, and sprints. Then we got into the actual netball side of things, with a few passes between two people to get the hands going. 'Not bad,' I thought. At least catching and passing a ball isn't beyond me. Things got tricky when we moved into a three-person drill with two players darting into various positions to receive the ball and return it to the passer. Passing and catching on their own is okay and I can run, but putting all the skills together is another thing entirely. I'm slow to react and get in position and needed more than a few pointers from my teammates just to be in the right place. After running me ragged in the three-on-three game, Technical moves to working on patterns of play from the centre pass – looking for options forward or wide from the centre circle. I find myself playing wing defence, receiving the ball from centre Riley Small and trying to distribute it forward while also presenting myself as an option to pass back to when needed. With no-one marking me, I feel like I handle the role well, although certainly not to the standard of the players doing this week-in-week-out. Technical co-coach Charlotte Drummond had told the team 'Sam Coughlan from The Star' was tagging along to training - which they thought meant I was affiliated with ANZ Premiership side Northern Stars. Sadly, I had to disappoint them with the knowledge I was from the newspaper, and had barely played the sport in my life. Still, I'd like to think my imaginary pro netball alter ego would be feeling proud. Sure, I got outpaced, outplayed, and outpassed by everyone on court – but I did, technically, play netball.
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
From boxing to rugby league - and now the beautiful game
Sports journo Sam Coughlan has been in the boxing ring, trained with champion rugby league team Hornby Panthers and today he reports on his session with Christchurch United. Not that roundball is foreign to him – he is a fairly useful goalkeeper in his own right. Who plays football at seven in the morning? That was my exact thought as I arrived at the United Sports Centre in Yaldhurst with the sky still dark and the birds are yet to start chirping. Pummelled by the Panthers 'Some pretty hefty punches' To make matters worse, I was told we would not be training on the two artificial turfs the club owns. Instead, we head for the dewy, soggy grass fields at the back of the facility, to help the team prepare for their pre-season clash in Blenheim the next day. That came back to bite me. Midway through a quick six-a-side game, I tried to change direction and ended up on my backside. I was more nervous for this session than others I've joined for this series. With other codes, I had no expectations going in, but football's a different story. I've played since I was six, so part of me hoped I could hold my own. Fortunately, I didn't feel totally out of place – even at a club like United, who finished third in the Southern League last year and won it the two seasons before. I leaned on my years of experience to try to keep up. That said, being a goalkeeper hasn't exactly prepared me for the amount of running, passing and shooting outfield players do. Keepers, you know what I mean. It was quick, really quick. One drill had us in a tight space with two defenders trying to win possession from five attackers. I got caught out a few times trying to play the ball under pressure. Later, we moved to shooting drills and with plenty of encouragement from my new teammates, I managed to find the back of the net past goalkeeper Ben Graney on a couple of occasions, exchanging passes with another player before being sent through on goal. It's not something I'm used to. By my calculations, the last outdoor goal I scored was back in primary school. While I didn't quite earn myself a contract offer from head coach Ryan Edwards, I'm confident I didn't completely embarrass myself. Hopefully. But it wasn't all close control and clinical finishing. In a seven-a-side game to finish the session, I found myself one-on-one with the keeper again, only to smash my shot into the crossbar. That's also when I lost my footing on the wet grass trying to turn quickly. Classic. Thankfully for my ego, there didn't seem to be any sense of frustration at my lack of skill, or questions of 'who is this guy?' Just a few smiles and, I suspect, a collective effort to stay in the reporter's good books. Smart lads. Surprisingly, the early start didn't feel so bad by the end of the training session. I had done a solid hour of exercise, and it wasn't even 8.30am yet. Maybe these morning workouts aren't such a terrible idea after all.
Otago Daily Times
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Pummelled by the Panthers
Sports reporter Sam Coughlan is a footballer who plays in goal, so we decided to take him out of his comfort zone. In the second of a series, he trained with Hornby Panthers, the defending Canterbury Rugby League champions. It's a dreadful evening for training at Hornby's Leslie Park home ground – the rain is bucketing down, making both ball and field slick and slippery. Sports reporter enters the boxing ring My first act is to try and kick a goal from the sideline. As a footballer, it's the one thing I thought I could do well, but my shot falls miserably short although the direction was good. After a short warm-up we get into some passing drills, running up and down the field. Sounds easy? I thought so. That was until a full-contact drill had me charging at speed into four defenders, prompting head coach Corey Lawrie to remind the team I haven't played rugby league before. Copping a shoulder in the cheek on my first run makes me regret my decision not to bother with a mouthguard. I fear for my teeth if I take another heavy hit and I'm thankful to have the soft, muddy ground to cushion my fall. Welcome to the Panthers! Even in the pouring rain, the standard was clear – sharp runs, crisp passes and total focus for the duration of the drills. Except, of course, for the one guy who didn't know where to stand or run or what position he was playing. That's me, in case it wasn't clear. It's an unusual feeling – I'm used to running around on a muddy field, but this is with ball in hand rather than at feet. The team is welcoming and happy to instruct me, where they can, on what I need to do to get more involved. The Panthers were going through attacking formations and moves in preparation for their match, a repeat of last season's grand final with the Halswell Hornets, but with calls of 'wedge', 'China', and 'diamond' around me, I am dumbfounded. Hooker Kyan Rosie throws me a lifeline: 'Just run it up,' he says, tossing me the ball. I obey, only to sprint straight into a brick wall. It hurts, but not much. I can tell they aren't tackling the newbie at 100%, because I'm sure I'd be in a lot more pain. In the end, the only bruise is to my ego after feeling mostly useless for the best part of 90-minutes. I make it out alive with no broken bones, all my teeth intact, and a whole new respect for those who spend their Saturdays smashing into each other and rolling in mud. I'll take that as a win – my influence clearly inspired the Panthers, who won their next game 22-12.
