On her own terms: Jonassen finds her groove as Heat leader

When Jess Jonassen played her first match for Australia, her surname was misspelt on the back of her shirt.

Her mother missed her cap presentation because the ground's gates did not open until immediately prior to the first ball, and the match was not broadcast.

The game has come a long way since that match at North Sydney Oval in 2012, and Jonassen (not Jonnassen, as that first playing shirt displayed) has been through an evolution of her own.

There have been dark periods, and times when Jonassen has doubted herself.

On Thursday, the 28-year-old will walk onto North Sydney Oval as the Brisbane Heat captain, hoping to lead her team into their third successive Rebel WBBL final.

Jonassen inherited the captaincy from Kirby Short, whose influence on the Heat's success has often been understated, and whose retirement last February left enormous shoes to fill.

In the past, the allrounder may have tried to mold herself into the same sort of skipper as her former teammate, but the self-possessed Jonassen of today knows to own her unique approach.

She has taken aspects of Short's leadership – and that of her national skipper, Meg Lanning – but she has been determined to develop her own approach.

Image Id: 25B2B16A7AB74A059B85C256F40BD473 Image Caption: Jonassen and Short talk tactics last summer // Getty

"I'm trying to just be me and keep things consistent from that perspective," Jonassen told cricket.com.au before the start of the season, as she prepared to take on the new role.

"Taking over the role from Kirby who had some pretty good success through the back part of her career with the girls, I'm not trying to be her as such, but just taking on board some of the key traits and values ... to keep the team under that same trajectory.

"Meg and Kirby, they're quite similar in the sense that they always seem quite calm on the surface and doesn't really matter the situation, they always try and remain the same and that's something that I'm trying to work on to take forward – not to let emotion dictate too many decisions."

Jonassen is not one for long, stirring speeches – the kind that were a hallmark of Short's leadership – and often it is coach Ashley Noffke who is the more vocal in the Brisbane Heat huddle before a game.

"I'm me and I've been picked for the role for a reason and that's just by purely being myself," Jonassen said.

"It's having that belief in myself and others around me that that's going to be enough.

"I'm not a big talker, even though (Short) was … I'll just continue to try and lead through action which is what I'm about.

"The good thing is, we've got a few other senior people in the squad such as Delissa Kimmince – if the team needs a good emotional rev up, I can always count on her for that."

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Jonassen comes across as the classic relaxed Queenslander; friendly, level-headed and with no hint of ego.

On the field however, Jonassen confesses to being just as susceptible to white-line fever as any other elite athlete, describing herself as an 'angry ant' in the earlier days of her career.

Over time, however, she has developed the maturity to use that competitiveness to her advantage, rather than her detriment.

"It's always going to be there because you're competitive and you always want to do well and what not, but being able to differentiate between what an emotional decision is and what a logical one is, is something that I'm trying to bring into my game," Jonassen explained.

"I think having that leadership role (at the Heat) will help calm me a little bit, because you've got to consider everybody else in the team and you've got a lot of extra things to think about.

"I want to set a good example, I want to lead through my actions and not necessarily just talk about it.

"That was always one area that I thought was letting me down a bit, things like body language (and) it's just one of those easy things that you can change or adjust slightly that can actually make a massive difference.

"It's still a work in progress but it's something that I think has really helped me over the last few years."

Kimmince has known Jonassen throughout her journey up the ranks of domestic cricket and played alongside her, be it for Queensland, Brisbane or Australia, for more than a decade.

She has witnessed first-hand her teammate's development on and off the field and has been impressed by how she has embraced the role of Brisbane captain.

"She's a lot more calm these days, and that's what really helps when you're in those situations when you're under the pump, you need that person there telling you it's okay," Kimmince said this week.

"I've seen her over the years and I think captaining has come at a perfect time for her in her career and I think she'll grow even more from this experience."

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One of the toughest periods of Jonassen's career came two years ago – but it also proved transformative.

She had travelled to the West Indies with the Australian squad for the 2018 World Cup but was on the comeback trail from a knee injury and despite being fit for the tournament opener, could not crack into the XI as Australia won their fourth title.

Another left-arm orthodox spinner in Sophie Molineux had cemented her spot, and – despite being assured by coach Matthew Mott that it was not the case – Jonassen feared there would never be room for both players in the one team.

The Queenslander has since revealed she struggled with her mental health throughout that tournament, far from home and frustrated at not being able to contribute on the field.

"It is quite easy when you're in a professional environment to see things like that as a threat … and knowing that you want to be the one to contribute and do the job for the team," Jonassen said.

"I think that West Indies World Cup was a really good eye opener for me, learning that there's so many more ways to contribute to the team's success than simply being out on the field.

"Playing for my country is something that I never take for granted and more so even now, after all those injuries and missing out on certain games that I would have liked to play, it really means that little bit more each and every time."

Those fears have indeed proved unfounded, with both Jonassen and Molineux taking to the MCG to the T20 World Cup final earlier this year.

"Now we're both fit and you sit back and listen to what's being told to you and what your role is, and you just understand that it doesn't really matter that you both have the same type of skill, because we do it slightly differently," she continued.

"I think that just adds to one of our strengths as an Australian side."

Image Id: 824A09A6CB434AD692F27B7989E4FDBD Image Caption: Jonassen and Molineux have formed a potent spin combination for Australia // Getty

That experience in the Caribbean also prompted Jonassen to re-assess her cricket-life balance, to ensure her sense of self, and of self-worth, was not purely based on on-field performances, or on selection.

Full-time cricket, and nothing but cricket, does not work for Jonassen, who returned to studying last year, undertaking a graduate certificate in forensic mental health, having already completed a law degree in 2015.

Broadening her interests and knowledge outside of her sport have been another piece of the puzzle for the allrounder.

As it stands, she is not sure whether the study may lead to a different career path once her cricket days are over, but she is keeping her options open.

"I think it's more about the balance at the moment, I find it quite difficult to visualise myself doing anything other than what I'm doing right now," Jonassen said.

"It's not to say that I don't have other options, because I do. But I haven't done a lot of work in those areas yet, it's just been all the theory side of things or the study side of things.

"I think when I can dedicate a little bit of time to doing some work experience in a few of those areas, I can figure out if it's what I want."

Supporting Jonassen through the ups and downs of the past eight years has been her partner, and now fiancé, Sarah.

COVID forced them to postpone their planned nuptials earlier this year, but they have a new date secured for 2021 – and it will be going ahead, no matter what.

"But we really looking forward to when our day can finally come around," she added.

"You put so much time and energy and effort into it, you want it all go as you planned and have people enjoy it and have a good time as well."

Brisbane coach Noffke has only known Jonassen for a couple of years, first while working as an assistant coach during Australia's 2018 tour of India, before later taking on the Heat and Queensland coaching roles.

Image Id: 7FB6F011384C4CB5B4187980D08A6FC8 Image Caption: Heat coach Ashley Noffke // Getty

However, even in that short time he has noticed a change in Jonassen.

"I think growth for her as come in many different ways," Noffke told cricket.com.au.

"Her stability as a person, she's in love with her partner, she's got a home , she loves her cricket, she watches a lot, she communications well and she's very level as a human being.

"I've only known her a short time … but people just see her as so level and such an even character  and I think that's part of enjoying the game.

"She's comfortable with herself, she's not trying to prove anything to anyone."

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In a roundabout way, achieving equilibrium off the field has now helped Jonassen to reach the same steadiness on it, and helped prepare her for the challenge of taking over as captain of the two-time-WBBL champions.

"Knowing that (cricket's) not the be all and end all and you're human, you're going to make mistakes, you're not going to win every game and that's just how it is (is important)," Jonassen said.

"But if I train hard, work hard and try my best then the result more often than not will take care of itself.

"If someone performs or a team performs better on the day then – so be it, you're going to dust it off, go to bed, wake up the next day and give it a crack again and I guess just that little bit of resilience in there really helps."