Netball NZ sticks to its guns over eligibility
Netball New Zealand is refusing to budge on its controversial eligibility stance for the Silver Ferns.
If midcourt great Laura Langman, or any other Kiwi netballer, is competing in the Australian domestic league or another overseas competition, they won’t be picked for the national team. Simple as that.
Langman, the second-most capped Silver Fern in history with 141 tests, ruled herself out of selection for next year’s Commonwealth Games after re-signing with Australian champions, the Sunshine Coast Lightning, for 2018 yesterday.
The 31-year-old may have played her last match in the black dress, unless she decides to link with a New Zealand franchise for 2019, which would put her into contention for the World Cup in Liverpool, England, later that year.
With NNZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie on her way to Botswana for an International Netball Federation congress meeting and the under-21 World Cup, which starts on Saturday, NNZ’s head of commercial David Cooper was left to do the talking.
Cooper stressed the policy not to select Kiwi netballers playing overseas was a NNZ board decision and was here to stay.
‘‘It’s for all players, this covers. It’s not a Laura Langman position. It’s for all players [that] we put this in place.’’
The rules had been adopted to ensure the integrity of the new national premiership competition and protect the Silver Ferns and NNZ’s high performance programme, he said.
Langman said two weeks ago she was torn over her decision to return to the Lightning or sign with a New Zealand team, making her eligible for the Silver Ferns.
‘‘We know it’s been an incredibly hard decision for Laura and one she hasn’t made lightly,’’ Cooper said. ‘‘Over the past 12 months we’ve been clear and consistent with where we sit around this policy as well.’’
Cooper said NNZ wouldn’t be relaxing their laws, even for a Silver Fern legend like Langman, who had played 12 years for the national side and never missed a game in that time.
NNZ didn’t have any plans to grant exemptions and reward veteran Silver Ferns playing abroad, he said. ‘‘We’ve been quite clear that this is our position and we’ve had that conversation with Laura as well.’’
Langman, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, said in her most recent interview, she understood NNZ’s policy.
‘‘They’ve got to look out for their best interests of netball in New Zealand. I understand and respect it immensely.’’
Langman was among the best midcourters in the inaugural Australian competition and a key performer in the Lightning’s titlewinning campaign.