Latest news with #MatchFit
The Spinoff
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Review: Netball docuseries Game On is a heartwarming gem
Tara Ward watches Three's new sports series about a group of New Zealand netball legends who return for one last game. The nerves are obvious from the opening moments of Game On. Former Silver Fern Temepara Bailey zips up her suitcase before she realises she's forgotten to pack her netball shoes. Adine Wilson wonders aloud why she agreed to come on a TV show, while Silver Fern centurion Casey Kopua limps into an indoor netball stadium to warmly greet her former netball teammates. They all look as concerned as she does. 'What have I signed myself up for?' she wonders. What Kopua and her fellow netball legends have committed to is a daunting physical and mental challenge, with every second captured on camera. Game On is Three's inspiring new sports docuseries that sees a team of former Silver Ferns come out of retirement to play for a high-stakes netball tournament. They've been called back to the court by coaches Yvonne Willering and Yvette McClausland-Durie, who will guide them through the tough process of returning to top-level sport. 'We're here to provide the challenge of transforming the former Ferns into the elite athletes that you were in the past,' Willering tells the ex-Silver Ferns. 'Good luck,' Kopua replies. It won't be easy – Daneka Tuineau hasn't touched a netball since she retired 14 years ago, Wilson broke her neck in 2016, while Kopua is awaiting a double knee replacement. While they may still be as competitive and passionate as they were two decades ago, their bodies tell a different story. 'I did try playing social netball, but man, they just want to show you that you're not as good as you were 10 years ago,' Irene van Dyk laughs. 'No shit Sherlock, I know that.' Game On is similar in warmth and spirit to another local sports docuseries, Match Fit, but it comes with a new twist: not only are these players preparing to compete against teams of other ex-internationals, they're also mentoring a group of promising young netballers. These rangatahi have been nominated by members of their community, and after the first fitness test with the Ferns, they immediately rise to the challenge. 'I don't want to get outschooled by people double my age,' 16-year-old Brooklyn says. It would be easy for the former world champions to stay on the sidelines and let their achievements do the talking. Instead, they share moments of vulnerability and bravery as they're confronted with how their bodies have changed over the years, and reflect on what happens when an international sporting career ends ('netball is my life… when I retired, I realised, who am I? I'm no-one,' a tearful van Dyk says in episode two). This honesty and emotion makes their return to the sport all the more powerful. Not only do the Ferns want to prove to themselves that they can do it, but they're also relishing the rare opportunity to be back with their mates, playing the game that brought them together all those years ago. Game On isn't about winning; it's about the power of community. It's about women championing other women, no matter what season of life they're in, and it's impossible not to feel inspired and uplifted by their strength and resilience. Game On is a gem of a series, a heartwarming reminder that no matter your age, you can still do hard things – and that maybe, for some of us at home, it's never too late to try and become a Silver Fern.
NZ Herald
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Netball's answer to Match Fit: Ex-Silver Ferns outshine All Blacks
Netball legends come out of retirement with something to pass on. Given the success of Pango Productions' three seasons of Match Fit – in which former rugby and league legends were reunited and challenged to get fit enough for a competitive match – extending the franchise was a logical step.
