Tutaia has option to take a break
NO decision on how much time Maria Tutaia spends away from netball will be made until after the Commonwealth Games, says Netball NZ boss Jennie Wyllie.
Tutaia has signed a two-year contract with the Mystics, but as part of the deal she’ll be able to take a break from the game, possibly during next year’s ANZ Premiership.
It’s regarded as a sabbatical, similar to what leading All Blacks have been doing for a decade.
But Wyllie is shying away from using the ‘s’ word and prefers to see it as a break.
‘‘We’re not seeing this as a sabbatical,’’ Wyllie said.
‘‘We’ve got a really busy international season coming up and this is about longevity of athletes, wanting to be flexible in their approach.
‘‘At the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games [next April], the Silver Ferns management and the Mystics will sit down and make a plan for Maria and she may rest if required.
‘‘But it will depend on how she shapes up after the Commonwealth Games.’’
Top netballers have two contracts, one with their Premiership franchise and if selected in the Silver Ferns squad, another annual one with Netball NZ.
Given that Tutaia is engaged to Wallaby Israel Folau, it wouldn’t have been a shock if she decided to be a part of the trickle of players leaving New Zealand to play in the Australian league.
But the fact she’s not joining Laura Langman, Leana de Bruin and Cathrine Tuivaiti and Jamaica’s Jhaniele Fowler-Reid in crossing the Tasman sends out a good message about New Zealand netball. ‘‘It’s a great sign,’’ Wyllie said. ‘‘What we’ve demonstrated is that it’s about being flexible and acknowledging each person as an individual. Maria is one of the world’s best shooters and we’re thrilled that she’s committed to Netball NZ for two years, as we lead into the Commonwealth Games, netball world champs and also the Mystics.’’
However, this year’s Premiership was so dominated by the Steel, who won all 16 of their games. Next year the competition needs to be tighter and it will no doubt make the Mystics weaker without Tutaia, even though they’ve signed Jamie Hume from the Steel for next season.
Mystics coach Helene Wilson believes her team can still be competitive without Tutaia.
‘‘Our recruitment is going really well and I believe that no one player would win any team the competition,’’ Wilson said.
‘‘So it’s my job as the coach to win the competition with the players we have available to play for us.
‘‘We’ve recruited a really great shooting circle for next year and Maria is a part of the picture of what that looks like.’’
The Silver Ferns triallists head into camp this week in Auckland and a squad that’s likely to be 15 PHOTOSPORT players strong will be named on August 7.
There are 11 tests for the Silver Ferns between August 26 and October 14. One is against South Africa and five each against and Australia and England.
When the New Zealand and Australian teams split into separate leagues this year, it was held up as something that would be good for the Silver Ferns, as the New Zealand teams would return to playing a Kiwi style of netball.
The first evidence of whether this is happening will appear next month, but Wyllie says it will take time to see the change.
‘‘We’re taking a long-term approach to that,’’ she said.