NNZ decision correct for future of game

If you point your ears across the ditch, you’ll hear a constant refrain, and it concerns the supposed stupidity of Netball New Zealand. How can they ignore Laura Langman, is how it goes. After all, she just led the Sunshine Coast Lightning to the Super Netball title, and even as she approaches the twilight of her career, she is one of the best – if not the best – player in the world.

Langman re-signed with the Lightning on Tuesday, and that means she’s not going to play for the Silver Ferns at next year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

The governing body made that call long ago, and they have maintained the same, simple position since – to play for the Silver Ferns, you have to play your domestic netball in New Zealand.

They did grant Langman a waiver to play in Australia and remain a Silver Fern in 2016, but they made it clear that that was a one off.

There are howls for Netball NZ to back down, and they are heard in this country too. The argument is that the Ferns need every weapon available if they are to beat the Diamonds and claim Commonwealth Games gold.

But Netball NZ won’t be budging. They have favoured laying long-term foundations over a better chance for short-term success, and it is the right decision.

Had they handed Langman another waiver, there might have been others lining up and asking ‘why not me?’

If they’d got rid of the rule full stop, the floodgates might have opened, robbing the domestic game of its biggest names at a time when it is in the middle of a massive battle to remain relevant.

With the eligibility rule in place, Langman was the only Silver Fern to give the ANZ Premiership a miss.

The same might have happened without the rule, but Netball NZ couldn’t take the risk.

Netball in New Zealand is a game of few stars at the moment. You only have to look at the reaction someone such as Maria Tutaia gets compared to her teammates to know that that’s true.

The ANZ Premiership has a long way to go. It needs those stars to remain here to mentor new ones; to help attract crowds; and to produce a compelling and competitive product.

Maybe, down the line, Netball NZ will be able to relax. But it can’t right now. And if Langman is the sacrifice they have to make, then so be it. The Ferns have to feel the pain now, so they can remain strong in years to come.

To Langman’s credit, she has never criticised the eligibility rule. She knows what she’s giving up, and she’s clearly decided what she’s gaining is more important.