ANZ Premiership final: Live updates as the Northern Mystics host the Mainland Tactix at Trusts Arena
Netball NZ update eligibility laws, opens door for overseas-based Silver Ferns
The Netball New Zealand (NNZ) board has voted to update the eligibility criteria for national selection, allowing players based overseas to be available for the Silver Ferns.
After reviewing the criteria, NNZ has introduced a formal exemption process to adapt to the changing face of the sport.
Players presently choose between higher-paying opportunities overseas, or remaining in Aotearoa – where they can be eligible for the Silver Ferns.
The new criteria will come into effect before this year's international netball season, with what the national organisation has described as 'clear guidelines and assessment measures for any exemption applications'.
'We've listened to the game and believe this is a positive step forward,' said NNZ board chair Matt Whineray.
'This update strikes a balance between flexibility and fairness, acknowledging the increasingly global nature of netball while continuing to protect the integrity of our domestic competitions and the mana of the Silver Ferns.'
Players wanting to remain eligible for national selection while based overseas will need to go through a formal process, although the updated criteria has not been made available.
'Ultimately, the purpose of this proposed process is to ensure that all exemption requests are evaluated fairly, consistently, and transparently,' said NNZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie.
'It safeguards the athlete through a structured and transparent approach, while upholding the broader interests of Netball New Zealand, the Silver Ferns, and the ANZ Premiership competition.'
NNZ has said the updated criteria will not be made public, adding to what has been a murky saga regarding overseas players' availability.
Earlier this year, Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio told Newstalk ZB that players must have 100 test caps to be eligible for an exemption to play offshore and still play in international fixtures.
Australian-based Grace Nweke confirmed the same to Fox Sports - saying it was Netball NZ's 'black and white' rule.
However, a spokesperson for the national body has clarified no such 100-test rule exists, and each case was at the board's discretion.
In the time since, multiple players have expressed to Newstalk ZB that they have been forced to choose between overseas offers – largely out of Australia – and remaining in NZ and the ANZ Premiership.
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RNZ News
12 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Netball: Third-time lucky Tactix win their first ANZ Premiership title
Tactix players as they celebrate winning the final. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Nothing pleased Tactix coach Donna Wilkins more than seeing her veteran players win their first ANZ Premiership title in the red dress in Auckland on Sunday night. The Mainland Tactix won netball's ANZ Premiership for the first time by stunning the Northern Mystics 58-46 in the grand final. For Jane Watson, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Erikana Pedersen, and Ellie Bird - they had suffered two heart-breaking grand final losses in 2020 and 2021. They came the closest in 2021, losing by just two goals to the Mystics. By then Karin Burger had joined the side and had well and truly become a stalwart of the team. Wilkins said the thought of winning an elusive title was what kept bringing some of the older players back. "It's pretty special… we don't know who's going to come back next year, our focus has been on finals. For some of those old heads and experienced ones that keep coming back because they want to win a championship, that's what I'm most proud of now they've got it," Wilkins said. Tactix captain Pedersen embraced Selby-Rickit straight after the game. "She just said that she felt relief - was her first emotion and it is a bit like that because I know we deserved to be here and deserved to win, we've worked so hard. "We had a lot of people doubting us, you know as they should, we came to Mystics territory, they were number one but we knew we could do it, we had the full belief, we've trained our butts off. The last few weeks in particular our intensity at trainings have been unreal… we've been coming out of them exhausted." Karin Burger and Jane Watson. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Tactix shooter Ellie Bird capped off a superb season by shooting 50 from her 53 attempts, and even pulled off two intercepts. Just two weeks prior, the Mystics had beaten the Tactix by 14 goals to win the minor premiership and advance straight to a home grand final. Everything was stacked against them - the Mystics have won every grand final they have appeared in, and six of the eight grand finals had been won by the team who claimed the minor premiership. But the Tactix showed a lot of fight when they beat the Pulse in the elimination final and Wilkins philosophy? "Finals netball is getting into it and giving yourself a chance." The former Silver Ferns defensive pairing of Burger and Watson picked up where they left off from that Pulse game. Ellie Bird has been a Tactix stalwart. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Watson unsettled Australian import shooter Donnell Wallam, who had not looked flustered all season. "They are big game players, they are experienced, they are used to playing against tall shooters. I told them they needed to get touches early and Jane did right from the get-go so it made it a little bit doubtful for them to just let rip and throw that ball in," Wilkins said. "They were doing one or two more passes before they would launch it in, whereas a couple of weeks ago it was just 'catch-boom', so we needed to nullify that connection between Peta [Toeava] and Donnell and I think we did a good job of that. "And because we are so clinical in looking after our own possession off our centre pass, even if teams hit a couple of two point shots, they don't make headway and we showed that on Monday night." Once again Wilkins stuck with her starting seven, apart from a brief period where Pedersen had to come off the court due to cramping. "Everything was going, my toes, my calves, my quads, my hips… but we knew we needed to prepare for a tough game, I think Teeps [Selby-Rickit] started cramping as well," Pedersen said. Despite the cloud hanging over the domestic competition, with Netball New Zealand still trying to pin down a broadcast deal for 2026, Wilkins said none of that was a distraction. "We had an opportunity to win a championship, that's been our focus, it's been about us." She was looking forward to taking the trophy to Christchurch. The Tactix and their National League predecessors, the Canterbury Flames, had not won a title since the introduction of franchise netball in 1998. The Flames played in four Coca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup finals but lost all four to the Southern Sting. "It's a long time coming, enjoy just being together as a team and enjoy the moment with our family and friends and we'll worry about next year next week," Wilkins said. The Tactix may look a little different next year. Bird is off to Australia and doesn't plan on coming back for another season. It remains to be seen whether the likes of Pedersen and Watson might call it a day. Selby-Rickit had one of her finest seasons and the 33-year-old may well be on the radar of an Australian team. Coach Robyn Broughton and captain Bernice Mene after Southern Sting beat Canterbury Flames in the 2001 Coca Cola Cup domestic final. Photo: Photosport To guide the Tactix to the title in her first season as head coach is a dream start to Wilkins' elite coaching career. Pedersen was full of praise for the former Silver Fern and Tall Fern. "Donna's been in our position, she knows what it's like to play in high pressure matches. She's very disciplined in the way that we play on attack but she's just brought this winning mentality, like even warm up games, she's is all about winning and I love that because I think that's what our Tactix team needed." Competitive, clinical with possession, and sticking with a starting seven are all traits associated with the late great Robyn Broughton, one of New Zealand's most successful netball coaches. Broughton became an icon of Southland netball during her long tenure with the Southern Sting, where she was head coach from 1998-2007, winning a record seven Coca Cola/National Bank Cup titles during that time. Wilkins played many seasons under Broughton, as did Tactix assistant coach Te Huinga Selby-Rickit. When Wilkins was asked what the legendary coach would have made of it, she shared that she treasures a photo of her old friend. "Well I actually brought [the photo of] Robbie with me, I normally talk to her before we play our home games but this week I thought I better take it with me and I think it might have helped. She's always there, God she coached me and Hu [Te Huinga Selby-Rickit] and a lot of the players, it's pretty special," an emotional Wilkins said. Donna Wilkins Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 The Mystics were denied a historic three-peat and were denied a chance to play their best netball. Despite easily beating the Tactix two weeks prior, Mystics coach Tia Winikerei said they knew the visitors were going to bring some venom. "When you get beaten like that and you're a quality side like they are, you come back fierce and you want to win. "Tactix came out very very strong and we didn't cope with that very well… we let them over power us, we actually just didn't execute what we should have in that first quarter and that hurt us for the rest of the game. "I didn't see any momentum shifts throughout the game and so the story of the first quarter was almost the story of the whole game." Mystics captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson said they were not blindsided - "They did exactly what we thought they were going to do." The Tactix have now become the fourth franchise to win the title, since the competition began in 2017. The Steel have won twice, and the Pulse and Mystics three times each. 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Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
Title drought over as Tactix prevail against Mystics
That was well worth the wait. From the first centre pass to the final whistle the Mainland Tactix were brutally dominant to beat the Northern Mystics 58-46 and win their first national league title in Auckland last night. There were tears, hugs and smiles as the Tactix realised a dream 28 years in the making for the region. They have finally been rewarded after falling short in the 2020 and 2021 ANZ Premiership finals. Their predecessor, the Canterbury Flames, were also runners-up in four finals. Wilkins, a former Southern Steel player, joined Mystics coach Tia Winikeri and Otago great, the late Georgie Salter in winning a title in their inaugural year as head coach. It is the first time a South Island team has won since the Steel's 2017-18 reign and it snapped the Mystics' hopes of a three-peat and their 100% finals success rate. Tactix captain Erikana Pedersen spoke through tears about what it meant to her franchise. "Really, really proud. Obviously really emotional," Pedersen told Sky Sport. "I know how hard we've worked, not just this season, but honestly, over the last like how many years. "The franchise has done so well, the region has really struck behind us through the us and downs. "I thought we brought the energy right from the beginning. We were hungry for this. "A lot of people doubted us, but we had the full belief that we could do it." Ellie Bird was strong in her final game for the Tactix and Pedersen alluded to other players moving on as well. After going down 70-56 to the Mystics two weeks ago, the Tactix were determined to turn it around. They did it their way — playing smart, clinical and simple netball which has worked all season. Jane Watson went for an early fly, forcing a fumble from the Mystics. Karin Burger took her feet through the ball to snaffle a midcourt intercept and it gave the Tactix confidence to put their foot down. They went on a seven-point run to lead 10-4 and put all the pressure on the Mystics. Watson and Donnell Wallam had a fiery battle in the circle, with neither backing down from the challenge. The Mystics coughed up seven turnovers in the opening quarter and became frustrated as they worked hard to turn around the deficit. But the Tactix kept it simple and led 17-8 at the break. Their energy across court was palpable, while the Mystics were flat and flustered from the Tactix dominance. The Tactix were patient on attack, never afraid to work the ball until they found their way to Bird under the post. The Mystics started to find their feet, double-teaming Bird and making the entry to the Tactix circle hard. They put more pressure on through court, forcing the Tactix to constantly look for a square option. But the Tactix restored a 31-22 lead at halftime. The Mystics took a gamble pushing Peta Toeava to goal attack and Tayla Earle into wing attack. It brought Katie Te Ao into centre. Pedersen picked off a through court tip, Bird dodged on the base and suddenly the Tactix led by 12. They were up for the fight, chasing down every loose ball, backing each other up and Pedersen constantly put her body on the line and held a 47-36 lead at the break. The Mystics started to eat into the lead at the end of the fourth. But Paris Lokotui picked up a crucial intercept with under four minutes to go, stopping any Mystics momentum building. Pedersen limped off the court with cramp, embraced by her coach as the clock ticked down. ANZ Premiership The scores Mainland Tactix 58 Ellie Bird 50 (50/53), Te Paea Selby-Rickit 8 (8/11) Northern Mystics 46 Donnell Wallam 38 (38/43), Filda Vui 5 (5/10), Peta Toeava 1 (1/1). Quarter scores: Tactix 17-8, 31-22, 47-36.
NZ Herald
10 hours ago
- NZ Herald
ANZ Premiership: Mainland Tactix break drought, defeating Mystics in grand final
Tactix captain Erikana Pedersen said the win was for all Canterbury sports fans. Pedersen finished the grand final cheering from the bench, after limping off with injury in the final quarter. She credited Bird's performance, with the underrated shooter excelling, after coming out of retirement to have another go at netball. Karin Burger appeals for an umpire call during the ANZ Premiership final. Photo / Andrew Cornaga / 'A lot of people doubted us, but we knew we could do it,' Pedersen told SkySport. 'The region has really stuck behind us with all the ups and downs. 'I'm really proud and emotional. I know how hard we worked over the last how-many years,' The jubilant captain said the experience of Ferns legend Wilkins was a crucial factor in building belief in their breakthrough season. 'She's brought a ruthless mindset into our team and we also have to give credit to Marianne Delaney-Hoshek [the former Tactix coach], who has been there for many years.' The Tactix set the platform with a storming defensive effort in the opening quarter. The trio of Jane Watson, Karin Burger and Paris Lokotui stifled the flow of ball into the Mystics attack. Watson and Burger pressured Mystics target and former Australian Diamonds shooter Donnell Wallam, who was restricted to just 38 goals for the match. Mystics coach Tia Winikerei went to her bench to turn the momentum. She moved midcourt dynamo Peta Toeava into the goal circle. Later the Mystics coach tried a defensive reshuffle, bringing on rookie goal keep Charlotte Manley, but the Tactix held the upper hand, with a brilliant back-up shooting performance from Te Paea Selby-Rickit (8/11) and a slick midcourt. – RNZ
