Dribble Podcast: Perth Lynx captain Anneli Maley on the heartache and ecstasy of sport after grand final loss

Perth Lynx captain Anneli Maley believes she has emerged from the heartache of last season’s grand final heartbreak a better player and with a greater appreciation for the joy of sport as she prepares for round one against Southside Flyers on Saturday.

The Lynx went agonisingly close to ending their championship drought and Maley was at the centre of the drama when she missed two free throws and a lay-up in the dying stages of the game two when scores were tied. The Flyers won on the buzzer and then won the championship in game three.

Devastated at the time, Maley said the Lynx had done an amazing job of reminding her that without her 17 rebounds that night, the team wouldn’t have been a chance to win.

“As an athlete, we miss more shots than we make. I think it’s more compartmentalising it that way,” Maley told The West Australian’s The Dribble Podcast.

“Yeah it hurt. Definitely it was one of the harder things I’ve had to go through in my career but it’s not going to be the last time I miss a game winning shot. It was the first, but it’s not going to be the last. That’s something important to note.

“It has made me a better athlete. I’ve only been able to grow from it. Compartmentalising is a part of sport. I’ve got to put it down. I’ve got to move on. I can’t live in the past.

“I had a bad moment. I had a great series. I had a great season. I had one bad moment. That’s what the club re-enforced to me. It’s one moment, it happens to everyone and unfortunately it was you that had to bear the brunt of it.

“What (coach) Ryan (Petrik) has said to me is a game never comes down to one moment. That responsibility is never on me. As a club they supported me knowing that I was going to take it on, wear and feel every part of those emotions.

“They know who I am. They know I wear my heart on my sleeve. Their support was more reminding me I am so much more than one moment and the game was so much more than one moment. That’s how I was supported.”

Maley went on to represent Australia at 3x3 in the Olympics during the year and is now focused on trying to win the championship with the Lynx. She said the biggest lesson from 2024 had been that sporting success goes hand-in-hand with heartache because the rollercoaster of emotions makes the good times better.

“If I’m experiencing so much joy in the job that I’m doing it means I also experience heartbreak and pain. It’s the trade off you make. If you experience the high highs, you also experience the low lows. It’s the trade off you give,” she said.