Van Dyk wants to stay at Magic
It’s not a match made in heaven yet but Irene van Dyk and Julie Fitzgerald definitely share the same dream.
Van Dyk wants to remain with the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic next year and new coach Fitzgerald wants her stay. The sticking point now is around commuting.
The 41-year-old goal shoot travels to the Magic from Wellington and won’t budge on that arrangement.
The Australian is expected in Hamilton tomorrow when she’ll make a call on whether van Dyk can come and go as she has until now.
‘‘I cannot train every day in the Waikato. I’m not willing to move, I’m not going to move out of Wellington,’’ van Dyk said on radio yesterday.
Should she and Fitzgerald reach an impasse on that issue then the Pulse could come into the reckoning to sign her.
Van Dyk spent 11 years flying up to Hamilton on a Wednesday, training that night and again the following morning before coming home.
Trans-Tasman Netball League officials want franchises to submit an initial squad by the end of this month.
The Silver Ferns also have a rule that players cannot negotiate with franchises once the national camps start – the first of those runs from August 5-9.
Van Dyk would be a good acquisition for the Pulse on and off the court. She continues to be one of the premier goal shoots in the competition and would be a terrific marketing tool for the Pulse.
However, it’s unclear if Broughton, should she return, is completely sold on signing van Dyk.