Rays forced to pull out of competition
IN a blow to North Queensland’s netball scene, the Northern Rays have made the difficult decision to pull out of the 2020 HART Sapphire Series.
The Townsville-based side are the latest in sport to feel the wrath of the coronavirus pandemic, with the club’s board pointing to the conditions it has caused for destroying the team’s ability to commit to the season.
Rays chairman Michael Brennan and the board were left devastated by the decision after working tirelessly to put a tumultuous 2019 campaign behind them.
The challenges of managing a team spread between Townsville, Cairns and Mackay came with significant travel costs that led to the club basing itself in Townsville for the 2020 season.
The appointment of Scotland’s World Cup coach Gail Parata was expected to attract high calibre talent and a host of sponsors, and the advance of their Pacific Island International exchange program had also given signs of growth beyond this year. Originally the Sapphire Series was set to begin in October, however Netball Queensland made the decision last week to move its commencement up to August.
Brennan said the uncertainty around travel restrictions meant it was not feasible for Parata to leave her family in New Zealand and travel abroad to rejoin the team.
He said the club fought to have the season’s start date remain in October.
“We were very robust in putting our position forward.
We weren’t the only club that expressed some concerns about the dates, but I think as disappointed as we were we could see Netball Queensland position that, because of COVID, trying to bring all the competitions in line, was incredibly difficult,” Brennan said.
“We were really trying to get a couple of imports to give some more depth to the bench and we just couldn’t delay the decision for much longer.
“It’s gutting, it really has been a perfect storm between COVID, travel restriction and the big unknown around airlines. As the only truly regional team in Queensland, the Northern Rays is severely disadvantaged by COVID-19 travel implications.
“It’s been heartbreaking to have to go to the players, assistants and North Queensland netball community with the news that our 2020 season won’t be going ahead.”
All Rays squad members will be released to play in their local competitions.
The club is also in discussions with Parata about extending her contract for the 2021 season.