Netball: Former Silver Ferns coach calls for drastic change to ANZ Premiership

The Stars beat the Steel by their biggest margin ever. Michael Bradley Photography

Former Silver Ferns coach Yvonne Willering is calling for the return of transtasman domestic netball.

This season’s ANZ Premiership has seen blowouts, with only half the games decided by less than 10 goals.

Willering is proposing a shortened New Zealand competition which would see the two finalists square off against the top two Australian clubs.

She said the quality of domestic netball had dipped in recent times.

“When we lost the Australians playing in the league, it became a different type of competition. You could say it provides opportunities for our own players — and, yes, it does — but it isn’t the same strength as it was.”

Only three games have been decided by within five goals across the opening three rounds, and questions have been raised as to whether New Zealand has the depth to field six teams.

Willering said having a post-ANZ Premiership contest with Australia could provide an indication.

“If obviously we don’t have comparative scores, then we may need to look at exactly how we develop this league and whether we should reduce it. But we want to give opportunities to every region in New Zealand as well.”

The bottom-placed Southern Steel and Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic have one win from seven games between them but both could make the final.

Willering has blasted the ANZ Premiership’s lengthy structure, which she said dilutes its significance.

“What I don’t like is that teams can have three or four losses and still make it in the top two or three. I think that every week, every score should count.”

Willering is hesitant to suggest reducing the competition from six to five teams given the inconsistency in results.

The Magic — sporting a shooting end of Ameliaranne Ekenasio and Bailey Mes — opened with two losses but bounced back to beat the league-leading Northern Mystics in round three.

The Steel have struggled without English import George Fisher, who suffered an ACL injury pre-season.

Australia’s Super Netball competition has an unlimited import policy, which Willering said made a difference.

The former coach said it is a big step up from the National Netball League to the ANZ Premiership and then to the Silver Ferns. Willering said they need to find a way to close that gap.

“The closer the games, the more the players are put under pressure. Once a team has a big lead, they tend to go into their comfort zone rather than really putting the performance out there.

“I want the ANZ to be a really elite competition and for it not to be a huge step into the Silver Ferns. I think [Silver Ferns coach] Dame Noeline Taurua would say exactly the same.”

Round 4 fixtures

Saturday - Steel v Magic, 7.15pm

Sunday - Tactix v Pulse, 2.10pm, Mystics v Stars, 4pm

Monday - Tactix v Magic, 7.35pm - Live commentary on GOLD SPORT and iHeart Radio