Queensland captain Ruby Bakewell-Doran says she’s determined to back both her club and former teammate Remi Kamo in the wake of a Netball Australia probe into the Firebirds’ culture.
The probe found that no NA policies were breached, despite Kamo’s allegations that she “witnessed and experienced bullying in an unsafe environment”, and that “calls for help fell on disinterested ears”; claims she just reiterated in an Instagram post.
Bakewell-Doran responded to the post by commenting, “Beautifully said Rem. So incredibly proud of your strength”, while fellow ex-teammate Donnell Wallam wrote, “Proud of you.”
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Both Kamo and Wallam are now playing in New Zealand, while the Firebirds have a revamped squad under new coach Kiri Wills, with Bec Bulley having left mid-season last year; less than two years into a four-season contract after a run of poor results.
Bakewell-Doran insisted that the club had changed and was continuing to improve its culture, while also supporting her teammate after a devastating experience.
“I think it’s a tough one. For the majority of our team this year, they were present for anything that happened in the previous years, so I think for them it was just business as usual and it was trying to keep that sense amongst the team as well,” the Firebirds skipper told Fox Netball’s Pivot program.
“And in the background, still supporting my friend. Remi’s a great friend of mine and we’ve been playing netball for so many years together, so to have her back and support her, and get my club and my team ready for a game.
“I think that two things can be true. That we had a really tough season last year and there were things that needed to be changed and have been, and that Remi is a really good friend of mine and I support her very much.
“We experienced a lot together in those last two years and yeah, I feel like it’s really important for her to know that I will always have her back no matter what.”
Netball Queensland branded Kamo’s claims “unsubstantiated” after the Netball Australia probe, saying in a statement: “Netball Queensland and the Queensland Firebirds reject suggestions the organisation is an unsafe workplace as well as labelling the 2024 Firebirds a ‘toxic’ organisation. Netball Queensland and the Queensland Firebirds further reject the new accusations by Remi that players in 2023 who spoke up about the culture were not re-contracted in 2024. It is unfortunate that Remi chooses to continue to make unsubstantiated claims about the club, its athletes and staff.”
The Firebirds are now 2-3 this season, sitting fifth on the Super Netball ladder and aiming for a return to finals.
Bakewell-Doran has been an excellent form, likely putting her back on the Diamonds radar while inspiring her SSN team.
“I think it is really important for me to know that I am here to lead my team, and I’m really proud of the work that our team have done in the off-season and through this campaign. We do have a lot of work to continue doing, but for us it is just being really positive and looking forward and learning from what has happened and moving forward,” Bakewell-Doran said.
Diamonds great and former Melbourne Vixens captain Bianca Chatfield weighed into the balancing act, while posing a further questions for Bakewell-Doran as part of the Pivot panel.
“It’s such a fine line as a captain to bring your team together, unite a new team together and have them move forward into this season, but then to be able to also support your teammates and what’s happened in the past; and I’m sure it’s something that you don’t want to have to revisit all the time, there’d be plenty of noise around the club at the moment,” Chatfield said.
“I’d love to know from you how a new coach – who wasn’t part of it last season and the years before, Kiri Wills – has been handling all of this and been trying to bring you all into the present moment to be able to move forward this season?”
Bakewell-Doran responded: “I think for ‘Kiz’ it’s difficult too, because she really just has stepped into a support role. I think she has definitely not been someone to put her two cents in, because this is her team now. And she is the same as us, she just wants to create this culture and create this environment where we love turning up and we want to play for each other. And I think that’s been her biggest thing in all of this, that she’s just going to take us to where she wants us, and do it her way and just be a support and be a sounding board if she needs. But really, her focus is winning games and moving forward.”
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