2 Feb 2024
Super League round 11 preview: fast-learner Kouame hoping to lead late Docklands surge
While many of his team-mates have been playing since they were young, the now 20-year-old was only 17 when he took up the sport, having previously played basketball during his early teenage years.
But what the Richmond Docklands player has lacked in terms of experience in making that transition, he has more than made up for in raw talent and enthusiasm.
Having come through the ProVolley Academy at IBB Polonia and subsequently played at Malory Eagles, the outside hitter is now a mainstay of the South West London side’s roster, having joined for the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
The season so far has been a mixed bag for Richmond as a collective and for Ben on a personal level.
Team-wise, Docklands have won five and lost five of their Super League matches and were knocked out of the National Cup last week by the Malory Eagles.
Individually, Benaya has been a consistent performer, playing in eight of the club’s 10 league matches to make 123 of 126 successful returns and complete 79 kills, 11 blocks and 47 digs, but he has also suffered an injury setback.
His overall output has left him pleased with his progress, but he knows he and the team can still refine their performances between now and the end of the season in a bid to ensure a stronger title challenge next season.
“I played basketball for about five years as my main sport, as well as a bit of football, but I just got a bit bored of it in the end and I wanted to try something different,” said Benaya.
“What I like about Volleyball is that matches are so varied and the points are so competitive - that’s why I decided to give it a go.
“There was a lot to learn very quickly and I am still learning about the game all the time now, but I feel I have developed well in a short space of time and I’m happy with where I’m at.
“Having said that I am never completely satisfied and I want to be best and I’m still figuring my game out and learning how to play like the very top players.
“It’s been up and down season for us so far and I think that stems from the fact we are quite a young side and one that saw a lot of new players ahead of the start of the season.
“It’s definitely taken time for us to get to know each other’s games and how we play, but I think that is starting to come and we can show it in the matches we have left.”
The injury that has interrupted Benaya's season in recent weeks either side of Christmas saw him sprain both ankles.
It not only sidelined him for Super League, but also saw him miss out on joining the England Senior Development Squad as they played scrimmage matches against Northern Ireland.
Thankfully, he made a successful return in Docklands’ last league fixture, on 20th January, getting court time for two of the three sets in the 3-0 victory over Newcastle Staffs, and is now looking to build himself back up to peak fitness.
Benaya said: “From the beginning of the season I have been starting regularly, so the first aim is to get that position back.
“Alongside that, linking up with England a lot more would be beneficial, so I’m hoping there is the opportunity to do more of that.
“I saw what the team who went to the Novotel Cup achieved and it would be great to be part of it. I’ve been in the England set-up before and enjoyed it, so I want to push myself back in the frame.”
Benaya, whose mum is French and dad is Ivorian, was born in West Africa and lived in France in the early years of his life - “until I was five or six” - before growing up in London.
He now enjoys combining his Volleyball training with studying for a Sports and Exercise Science degree at the University of East London (UEL).
“I have really enjoyed learning about the psychology of sport, the mental side of it, and it’s something that I’ve found has really helped me in my own game,” said Benaya.
“I’m hoping that one day I can go and play abroad professionally and follow in the footsteps of people like Ben Lucas and Ryan Poole, but if I can’t play, then I would really like to be a coach.
“Already I have played under some very good coaches and they all do things slightly differently. I would look to take the best bits of all those people if I were coaching myself.
“How do you deal with different players? How do you run your sessions?... I find it really interesting, so who knows on that front in the future?”
This weekend, Richmond are on the road for two matches in two days against teams fighting different causes at opposite ends of the Super League table.
Tomorrow (Saturday) they play a Durham Palatinates side who are seeking victory that will keep them in with a chance of retaining last season’s title – should unbeaten IBB Polonia’s form dip.
Then, on Sunday, they head to Yorkshire to face a Leeds Gorse side who have lost their last seven matches and have not won since getting the better of Newcastle Staffs 3-1 on Sunday 5th November.
Benaya said: “The away trips can be quite tough, but the journeys usually a chance to relax, maybe get a bit of sleep, and have conversations with the coaches about what we are looking to execute.
“When we played Durham at home, they showed they were a good side and took us down 3-2 (winning 15-10 in a fifth set tie break), but I feel we are a better side now than we were then.
“We have not played Leeds yet, but we are hoping for a good weekend and we can win both games then it can help us push on up the table.
“Now we are out on the National Cup, our sole focus is on the Super League where we are looking for to finish in the top four (which would secure a Last 4 play-off place), and we are capable of doing that with a strong finish.”
Pics by Nathaniel Macrae and Steve Smith
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