NETBALL: Time to make tough calls

SHANE HURNDELL
Flyers netball coach Tanya Dearns has backed a call for a carding system to deal with players who deliberately break the rules.
Former Silver Ferns mentor and Dearns' opposing coach tomorrow when the MoreFM Flyers take on the Fujifilm Force in a New Plymouth-hosted fifth round National Bank Cup fixture, Yvonne Willering, made the call last weekend.
With the game becoming more and more physical Willering believes the introduction of a yellow and red card system, similar to rugby, would go a long way to tidying it up. She said cards should be issued to players who employ deliberate foul play and this includes red carding repeat offenders.
"Forget about this being a non-contact sport, that's certainly not what it's about," Willering, who has coached netball for 20 years, said.
Dearns, who was sent from the court for backchat when playing for the Silver Ferns in 1988, said the opportunity was there for umpires to send players from the court for continuous infringing.
"Umpires just aren't doing it enough and players are taking advantage. The card system Yvonne is talking about may result in the umpires being more active in this department," Dearns said.
Dearns has called Otane's former New Zealand Secondary Schools defender Amanda Palmer into her team for tomorrow's match and next week's clash against the Flames at Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena. Palmer fills in for Physique 2000's Charlotte Kight who is in Australia playing for the New Zealand Secondary Schools side.
Palmer's call-up means all three Hawke's Bay players in the Flyers side tomorrow, Palmer, midcourter Becky Kupa and the versatile Kiley Hikawai, are from the Otane side.
In the wake of last weekend's 70-28 loss to defending champions Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic Dearns is looking for overall improvement from her troops.
"They have to have a going-in-to-win attitude," she added. Key players in the Force line-up include Silver Ferns midcourter Temepara George, who was sinbinned during the 2003 World Championship final win against Australia, shooters Teresa Tairi and Daneka Wipiiti and South African defender Leana de Bruin.
Flyers: Amber Bellringer, Jane Bingham, Erika Burgess, Lauren Burgess, Malu Fa'asavalu, Chanel Haggart, Kiley Hikawai, Amanda Palmer, Becky Kupa, Louise Moffat, Hayley Stockman, Florence Tayli.
Force: Leana de Bruin, Megan Dehn, Temepara George, Kimberley Horton, Catherine Latu, Finau Pulu, Lorna Suafoa, Teresa Tairi, Brigette Tapene, Daneka Wipiiti, Angelina Yates.