• In conversation with netball star Gayani Dissanayake

Senior players really helped me with the transition

It was tough to adapt to the culture in Colombo

Not even the national team has an indoor facility to train

we don’t have an analytics team to analyse other teams as well as our players

Twenty-nine-year-old Gayani Dissanayake is one of the most experienced netball players in the national circuit. Having joined the national side at the young age of 15 years, Dissanayake has been a pillar of the team during their triumphs. The Daily Morning Sports was fortunate to have to chat with her after her return from the recently concluded World Cup

Below is an excerpt from the interview. 

How did you first get into netball?

I started playing netball during my school days. I initially started with athletics in primary school. I have always been tall, so teachers and coaches insisted that I join the netball team. I joined netball when I was in Grade 6. 

What inspired you to take up the sport?

It was by chance, to be honest. My mother badly wanted me to play netball; I actually didn’t have a big affection towards the sport, to begin with. I always thought that doing an individual sport was much better than a team sport. But after I started playing for the national side and I got the chance to associate with the national players, I got this urge to continue the sport at the highest level. 

You mentioned earlier that you started with athletics. What were your events?

I did 100 m, 200 m, and the long jump. I actually held the record at the John Tarbet in the long jump event for quite some time. However, I couldn’t continue with athletics after I joined netball, especially after I was selected for the national team. But, I participated in all national-level tournaments during school days. 

You got your first national call when you were in Grade 9. How did you feel when you heard the news?

It was in 2010 that I got the call-up for the first time. But my name first came for national selection in 2009 when I was only nine years old. That year, we had an Asian championship but I wasn’t taken with the national team because the national coach at that time was a New Zealander who thought I was too young to play at the national level. He thought that my talent would be wasted if I started so young. However, I was selected for the 18-member pool that year.

My first national-level tournament was the Junior Asian Championship which I played in 2010. I was selected to the senior national side as well that year. I was only 15 years old and I played for the national side while doing my OLs. In 2012, I played in the Asian Championship which took place in Sri Lanka. If I remember correctly, my very first game was against India. That was the last time an Asian Championship was held in Sri Lanka. I played in the first seven in that tournament and I played all the matches. 

It was a great achievement, I believe, because I came into the side for the first time and played all the matches with the seniors. I wasn’t nervous but I was excited. I’d always wanted to play for the nationals but I never thought I would be a regular player in the first seven. It was a great privilege to play alongside those senior and get the national call-up at such a young age. 

What was the reaction from the senior players when you first joined the team?

They were really supportive because I was so young and it was my first time. Normally, it is players with a lot of experience who play in the first seven. But I played in the first seven from the beginning, so I had so many things to learn. The senior players really helped me with the transition. I started my career in the Shooter position and I played the Junior Asian Championship as a Shooter. But once I joined the senior team, I was asked to be a Defender. 

What are some difficulties and challenges you faced during your career?

My biggest hardship was having to travel all the way from Kandy. I was very close to my family from a young age and I hadn’t stayed away from home for long periods of time. My mother always came to Colombo with me and stayed over because I was not used to staying by myself. I had to switch my school from Girls’ High School, Kandy to Visakha Vidyalaya in Colombo, as well, due to the training. It was tough to adapt to the culture in Colombo. 

You have been in the national set-up for 13 years, what are your thoughts about the facilities and opportunities available for netball players in the country?

We have so many national-level players with a lot of potential and talent. The biggest issue in Sri Lanka is the lack of facilities. Not even the national team has an indoor facility to train. We play indoors with air-conditioning when we travel out of the country for tournaments. It has a big effect on us because we are used to playing in hot conditions in Sri Lanka. So when we go and play indoors, the air-conditioning is so cold that we find it hard to warm up before the game. It is very tough to adjust to these conditions. 

The other biggest issue is that we don’t have an analytics team to analyse other teams as well as our players. Other countries in Asia have their own analytics teams. They come to the match fully prepared after analysing our game. We simply use our experience to go out there and win games. We don’t have anyone to help us know how the other team plays or how to defend against them. There must be some luck because we somehow win games without any analysis. 

There is a lot of talent and we can be competitive at the Asian level with it. We could be more competitive at the world level if we had a team of analysts. 

You have had several foreign stints in the past couple of years. How did you earn that opportunity?

I first represented a Maldivian club called Green Street. They must have watched our matches because their coaching staff contacted me directly through social media. For three years they tried to get me to come and play but I couldn’t go because of national duty. I finally ended up going during the Corona period. It was a great experience playing in a foreign land. 

Then recently, I got a chance to play in Malaysia. The competition there is high in quality compared to the Maldives. I played in Malaysia for just one month before the last year’s Asian games. It really helped me because I was able to use that experience during the Asian championship. 

Ms. Hyacinth Wijesinghe is the one who allowed me to go and play in Malaysia just before the Asian championship. Other coaches wouldn’t have allowed their players to go because there is a risk of injury. But she did and it helped me a lot. 

Those games I played were tough games. I played for the Johor Jewels. It’s a super league played amongst the states. I only go there for the tournament and I am on contract for only that particular season. I use my personal leave to go on these tours. I got this chance thanks to one of my friends who plays for the Malaysian national team.  She was a former captain of the national side. That team needed a defender and that’s why I was drafted. I will be going again next month to Malaysia. 

Who are the young key players you see in the current national team to take the sport forward?

About 90% of players who are currently in the national team started playing after me. But most of them are similar in age to me. They also don’t have many years left in them so it is tough to see the future. But there are several junior players who have the potential to do well. I wish these junior players showed real passion towards the team without just playing to get national colours and then leaving. I don’t see a sense of desperation to win games for the country in the new generation. Hopefully, these players will learn with time and they will bring glory to the country. 

A legend of the game, Tharjini Sivalingam retired recently. What are your reflections in this regard?

She was a senior player when I joined the team for the first time. Despite a big age gap between us, I would say we are very close to each other. We were neighbours in the apartment where we stayed. We did so many things together. As a player and as an individual, I think she is one of the best people I have met in life. Those shoes will be tough to fill. But we have Thishala Algama in our team who has the potential. She is not as tall as Genie but she has the talent. Unfortunately, injuries have hindered her career. But if she can continue without getting injured, she can be a huge asset. 

In the Asian region, we have the height advantage but on the world stage, we are an ordinary team. All these players are significantly ahead of us. We had a junior player who had the height and was highly talented. Unfortunately, she passed away when she was 17 years old due to leukaemia. Her name was Melanie. She would have been the ideal replacement for Genie. 

Moving away from sports, tell us about your family and childhood.

I am from Danthure which is in Kandy. I have a lot of relatives so I had an exciting childhood with all my family. I have a younger brother and an elder brother. My elder brother and I are very close because our age gap is not much. I started schooling at Swanramali Balika Vidyalaya in Kandy. I moved to Girls’ High School, Kandy in Grade 6. They took me because I excelled in athletics. 

I first went for national selection after joining High School. All the senior girls were sent for selection but my coach Swenetha Alwis only sent me for it. Only I was selected from our school. I never wanted to join Visakha but I had to because of training when I was in Grade 9. I stayed in a hostel and I sometimes stayed at relatives’ places with my mother. 

What is your biggest achievement in life?

Currently, I have 99 national caps for the country. I think that is my biggest achievement. There aren’t even five players who have more than 100 caps for Sri Lanka. I think a lot of things I have achieved are big things. While playing nationals, I managed to get through my AL and OL exams. 

How did you join the Hatton National Bank (HNB) after school?

After school, I joined the Navy on a contract basis to play netball. However, I had always wanted to join HNB because so many senior players at that time were at HNB. So I waited until they opened for recruitment. I joined the company in 2016. I have always been attached to the Wellawatte branch. The bank is really helpful when it comes to national tours. They give duty leave for all the training as well as the tournament – no deductions in the salary or in bonuses. Last week, I went to the office after a period of eight months. Not many companies would do that for you. When I joined, I was already a national player and they knew I would be away for long periods due to national commitment. 

What was the turning point in your career?

In all the 99 matches I have played so far, I was never on the bench. The turning point was the change of positions back in 2012 when the coach at the time asked me to become Goalkeeper (GK) from Goal Shooter (GS). That’s when my position was confirmed. There were so many other Shooters in the team and even now there isn’t anyone who can replace me in the team. But I want someone junior to come in so that she can replace me once I retire. When I go for selection, there isn’t anyone in line for my position. 

Any plans to stay in the game after retirement?

I have not thought about it as yet but I would want to develop netball in Sri Lanka in any possible way. Specifically, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do once I retire. 

Are there any notable individuals you’d like to mention who have contributed to your career?

First of all, my parents, Amma and Appachchi, who’ve supported me. Apart from my two brothers, I have a wonderful sister-in-law who is married to my brother. She is like a sister to me. All my relatives have always cheered me on. I had a lot of coaches from my school days, and I would like to thank all of them as well as my colleagues in the bank who have backed me – I would like to thank all of them.