Skogrand’s game: “Our individual qualities in defence will be even more important now”

“There are so many good players now in attack, so I feel like I have to be even better in the defence — together with the team of course. But I think that our individual qualities in defence will be even more important now, because of how the play is evolving to a lot of one-against-one duels.” Ikast Håndbold right back and captain Stine Skogrand does not hesitate to highlight defence when discussing her core focus on the court lately. 

Defence is her central concentration in the game in general, although the multi-time title winner and medallist with Norway has been seen making an impact on both ends of the court. And Skogrand does thoroughly enjoy being part of the entire game. 

“I'm just so happy that I can do both and I can be involved in both the attack and defence. I just love the whole game. I love the contra attack — that I also can be a part of that. So, I'm just really enjoying that I can be a two-way player,” says Skogrand. 

However, for Skogrand, defence is where it’s at — it is what enabled her to have a big role in the Norway national team, it is where she focuses her match preparation and it is of course, as the famous saying goes, what wins titles.

“Maybe I focus a little bit more on defence in my preparations and I think in attack, like, how we work in our team. It's more like a group thing, you know — what do we want as a team. Of course, there’s individual qualities there as well, but when I'm studying at home for myself, it's more defence,” says Skogrand. 

“I've always liked to play defence, and I've always thought it's very important. Also, it was my strength in the national team that I could play in defence, also on the wing. I've played so much on the national team all these years because of my strength in defence on the number two, so that is why I think it's so important. And, also, I hope that the younger players who are so talented have focus on being a good defence player also and not only focusing on scoring goals.” 

So, let’s talk defence. 

“When I prepare for the games and I'm preparing for the players I’m meeting in my position, I want to have a tactic of how I'm going to meet them in the one-against-one duel,” explains the 33-year-old, who is playing her 14th European cup season, after debuting in the EHF Cup at 16. It was in the second-tier competition that she won her first international club trophy, taking the EHF European League title with Ikast in 2022/23. Now, she leads the Danish club in her fourth EHF Champions League campaign.   

“Some players always use their dribbling and some don't, and some players are good to have this perfect distance to the defence player, and that can be really hard in defence. So, to get my distance better, I need to have contact with the players. Sometimes I meet players in my position that are bigger and stronger than me, and then I have to be better tactical to win the one-against-one.”

Playing the number two position in defence, Skogrand faces more than the left back — not only do back court players move around, but wings may cause a threat to her zone or the line player may cause trouble. But Skogrand focuses mainly on her direct opponents in her preparation. 

“If I'm going to look at every player that is coming inside my area, it will be like very hard to know everything about everyone,” she explains, although she says there is a natural accruing of knowledge of players she faces regularly whether she studies them specifically or not. 

“When I prepare on one player, I also know if she uses the line player a lot or if she likes to play the wing or if she's better to get the ball over the zones. But it's a lot of traffic around my position and I also have a huge responsibility to help the others around me.”

Regarding that help of the others in the defensive line-up, especially the middle block, Skogrand explains that she can have a big impact on the timing of when the attackers will meet the central defenders — and stop them. 

“It's hard for number three and four to leave the line player at the perfect timing, because if you leave too late, they play the line player or they can shoot, and if you go too early, it can be a mismatch. So, I think that if I can help number three and four to get the one who is getting in the middle a little bit more distance, so the three and four can have a little better time to get in their position, they can either get contact or a good block.” 

That is one way Skogrand, as the number two defender, helps the middle block. Reversing the concept of help, allowing the chance for others to assist her is one reason Skogrand can often be seen coming up quite high. 

“I like to stay high and, you know, sometimes it's not for the best, but often it's for the best. I'm not the biggest player, so I have to stay up, and if I'm too low, then it's easy to shoot over me. If I lose one-against-one, then it's impossible to help me. So, I need to have this height, so I have the best chances, but also so it's easier to help me if I lose the duel,” she says. 

And the main thought going through her mind when standing in defence awaiting her opponents attack? “I need to get the contact before they can decide which way they want to go or before they can set the finta perfect, so they don't have the best timing for themselves.” 

Defence may be her main focus, but Skogrand has a significant role in attack. In the EHF Champions League 2025/26, as of early March, she has scored a career high 75 goals in the top flight and European cup overall, placing her as Ikast’s second top scorer and inside the top 10 of the competition overall. 

“I need a flow in the game. I like the cross play, but I also like the one-against-one duels in the attack,” she says of her favourite parts of offence. 

“I think that the place I want to improve is my play with the line player. I want to be better at that, so I have more chances and more opportunities in my game but also to play my players around me better.” 

In terms of contributions in attack, one national team tournament stands out when it comes to Skogrand — the EHF EURO 2024, where Norway extended their record of title wins to 10. Norway’s offence was a big talking point ahead of and during the event, as two key players, Stine Oftedal Dahmke and Nora Mørk, were absent. The team would require something of a rebuild in this area, and Skogrand had a key role on the right back. 

Skogrand played clearly the most time of anyone in the Norway team at that EURO and contributed 23 goals. Following the EURO, Norway farewelled long-time coach Thorir Hergeirsson. They have since won their first trophy with Ole Gustav Gjekstad at the helm. How does Skogrand see the evolution of the team in just over a year with a new leader? 

“Ole came in and wanted the things that is good, we don't change, but we can make them even better. We have worked a lot on how we want the team, how we want it in the championship, in the daily day,” says Skogrand. 

“It's so important that we have fun outside the court and that we trust each other outside the court, so we also trust each other on the court. He's also a good tactical and he’s also good to watch us individually, which I think is very good — that we don't always think about how the team is working, but also how we are as individuals.” 

Unsurprisingly, it is from within the Norway national team that Skogrand’s biggest handball role model came — and it seems no coincidence that she is a player known for her versatility and hustle in defence.

“One player I've looked up to is Karoline Dyhre Breivang and that's because of how she was in her defence. She like played every role she needed to — on the national team, but also in club. She was very good in defence. I really liked how she's just working, you know — no questions. Just working. If she's needed on a number five or number two or in the middle, then she's just working and I like that very much,” concludes Skogrand.

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