Netball: Plenty of thrills and backstage action

Charlotte Kight of the Tactix defends during the match between the Vixens and the Tactix. Photo / Getty Images

The 2009 ANZ Championship again provided thrills and spills, but the off-court action has been just as intriguing.

The sophomore season of the transtasman league was an overwhelming success with television ratings climbing steeply and the move to commercial free-to-air television in Australia.

Crowd numbers inched up as the intensity and quality of the on-court action continued to bring fans through the gates, with the more goals scored (up from 48 to 52 on average per game) and more close matches (43 per cent of games decided by a margin of five goals or less, compared with 36 per cent in 2008).

But despite the many gains that have been made during the 2009 season, it has produced plenty of controversy off the court. The criteria surrounding player eligibility, the seemingly unlimited salary cap and the format of the draw have all raised eyebrows.

Some of these kinks are not new, yet any changes for next year will be relatively minor.

It did not take long for the Magic's line-up, heavily stacked with Silver Ferns, to raise eyebrows, with Firebirds coach Vicki Wilson accusing the Waikato franchise of rorting the salary cap.

But with no limit placed on third-party payments to players, Wilson's comments were off-base. But among all the mudslinging and cheating allegations some valid points were raised. Certainly the salary cap is fulfilling its main purpose of ensuring the franchises live within their means. But it is not promoting an even spread of talent.

For many of our elite netballers, the dollars on offer are secondary to family and work considerations.

It is hoped as professionalism in the sport continues to spread, players will make these decisions based on what is best for their netball career.

The dubious draw, with its one-and-a-half rounds and the obvious imbalance that creates continue to cast a shadow over the league's credibility.

Ideally each team would play the other nine twice, but organisers are in no rush to remodel the format.

Netball New Zealand and Netball Australia and their various stakeholders and broadcast partners are committed to the current structure until the end of 2010.

While the possibility of expanding the competition has been discussed at length, there remains a reluctance to push for "too much, too soon". ANZ Championship general manager Anthony Everard cites the need to ensure the foundations of the fledgling competition are solid before making any changes.

But there is one main reason for the league's conservative approach to expansion and that is money. Everard said the added cost of another round of transtasman games is not manageable.

At this stage our resources only really allow for a one-and-a-half home-and-away season. As we grow the competition and as its revenues hopefully grow into the future, we may then look at going to a full home-and-away format."

The situation regarding imports needs resolving.

Kiwi franchises have had endless angst due to the prevalence of Pacific Island players.

Many players are New Zealand citizens but have represented Pacific Island nations and are therefore not eligible for the Silver Ferns.

The league office has sought to provide clarity in this area by coming up with one universal rule.

Franchises are expected to be informed of the new criteria as early as next week.

SEASON'S HIGHS AND LOWS

Best performance by a New Zealand team
A toss-up between the Magic's 18-goal demolition of the Swifts and the Steel's clinical 58-49 win over the Thunderbirds in round 13.

While the Swifts were a shadow of the side that won the title in 2008, the Magic's round-three win was a dominant defensive display and served as a reminder that when they're on song, they can play some brilliant netball.

Worst performance by a New Zealand team
There have been some pretty ugly losses for the Kiwis, particularly across the Tasman. But the Magic's 19-goal loss to the Thunderbirds in round 14 was awful.

For a side with five starting Silver Ferns, a Samoan international and a New Zealand squad member, the Magic looked embarrassingly out of their depth. The final-round loss proved just a prelude of what was to come, with the Magic crashing out of the playoffs.

Disney movie moment of the year
After a string of setbacks in the off-season, most expected the Pulse would endure another winless season. By round 11 all hope of a maiden victory had gone with the Wellingtonians facing a difficult run home against the Magic, Thunderbirds, Swifts and Vixens.

And then it came. The round-13 breakthrough win was against last year's champions the Swifts in Wellington. With the match evenly poised at 41-all heading into the final period, the Pulse held their nerve to scrape past their more-fancied rivals by one goal. Cue the standing ovation, the elated leaps in the air, hugs in the camp, and more than a few tears.

Most exciting new local talent
Outside of the Central Pulse, who have no choice but to give their youngsters a run, there are very few instances where franchises have put faith in their young players.

One of the big success stories of the year has been 20-year-old Tactix defender Charlotte Kight. After sitting on the bench all last season Kight was this year propelled into the big time, starting in all but one match this season. The New Zealand Under-21 defender formed a strong combination with English defender Sonia Mkoloma and is now being talked up as a possibility for this year's Silver Ferns squad.