Latest news with #QueenslandFirebirds
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Several Silver Ferns likely to test new eligibility policy
The Silver Ferns beat Australia in October's Constellation Cup. Photo: Marty Melville Analysis - Top Silver Ferns will be keen to test Netball New Zealand's new eligibility framework , with at least half a dozen likely being chased by coaches in Australia's netball league. The Netball New Zealand Board has updated its Silver Ferns' eligibility criteria, paving the way for greater flexibility for athletes who wish to play overseas. Pressure has been mounting on the national body to relax its rules after shooter Grace Nweke decided to compete in the Australian league , which ruled her out of playing for the Silver Ferns this year. But athletes will now be considered for Silver Ferns' selection through a formal exemption process under revised criteria, which appear to be open to interpretation. There are no guarantees that Nweke will get an exemption to play for the Silver Ferns later this year when they meet South Africa and Australian in separate test series. But Netball New Zealand Board chair Matt Whineray said a holistic approach will be taken when considering each case. It would not be surprising if Silver Ferns Kate Heffernan, Maddy Gordon, Kelly Jackson, and Karin Burger are being pursued, as well as captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio. Maddy Gordon. Photo: PHOTOSPORT The Queensland Firebirds, who are coached by New Zealander Kiri Wills, finished with the wooden spoon in this year's Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) competition. Wills will be eager to make some big recruitment moves in the next few weeks. Whineray said it had taken the board some time to review the policy as it worked through "different interests across the system", including the thoughts of the Silver Ferns' coach. The old policy was designed to encourage the country's top netballers to play in the New Zealand domestic league, so it remained strong. "What we are trying to do is balance a bunch of interests here so how do we maintain the integrity of that domestic competition, how do we respond to the aspirations and development desires of our Silver Ferns and how do we think about putting the best Silver Ferns team out on the court, so it's a culmination of all those things that we are looking to balance," Whineray said The increasingly global landscape in elite netball also factored into the decision. The Australian league attracts some of the best players in the world. England's Super League is also going from strength to strength. "This recognises that global competition for talent and that's what you see is driving some of those interested players to play in these other competitions." Australia's SSN competition pays the best. Currently the highest paid Silver Ferns can earn around $136,000, which also includes their ANZ Premiership retainer. If you take away the ANZ Premiership component then the optimum earnings for the highest paid Silver Ferns is in the vicinity of $70,000. RNZ understands that international defenders can earn around NZ$120,000 in the SSN, while midcourters are signed for about $100,000. If players are given exemptions, overall they would be better off financially once they received an SSN and Silver Ferns retainer, where they could make as much as $190,000 per year. In terms of any specific criteria, Whineray said number of Test caps won't come into it. "No there isn't and there hasn't been in the past, I know that was the narrative that it was 100, that just happened to be the number of Tests previous players who had received exemptions, had played. "What this criteria does is allow us to make sure the players fully understand the decisions they are making, it allows us to have the conversations with them in terms of their growth and development and their existing Silver Ferns' development plans. "It allows us to consider the needs of that high performance system and then thinks about how we think about the strong and sustainable domestic competition. So we've got all of those in the mix and the balance of those so it's a broader range of criteria - before there were none, there were no explicit considerations and now we've got them." Talented goal keep Kelly Jackson. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Whineray said the process for applying for an exemption will be handled quickly so players can make decisions about where they will play next year, with the season about to wrap. "We'll be very responsive with this process, we need this process to happen in a way which enables contracting to happen so our approach is to be quick in response to any of the players and we will start having those discussions and then we will consider them as a board." Silver Ferns' coach Dame Noeline Taurua has supported Nweke's decision to play in Australia in an effort to improve her game. Dame Noeline has spoken about the need for New Zealand's top players to get more international exposure if they want to be competitive. Netball New Zealand is still working on signing off on a broadcast deal for the 2026 domestic competition. There is a risk players will have to take pay cuts if the national body can't get a deal similar to previous years. But Whineray said that was not a factor in relaxing the eligibility rules. "It isn't a factor in this, this has been under consideration for a little bit longer but what I can say in relation to the ANZ Premiership next year is that that will be going ahead, we have the balance sheet capacity to make that happen so that's what we are planning to do." Grace Nweke joined the Swifts this year in Australia. Photo: Jason McCawley / Getty Images Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
News.com.au
13-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Super Netball: Swifts need extra time to beat the Firebirds
The NSW Swifts will head into the finals on the back of a win but it was hardly the confidence-boosting victory they wanted ahead of the playoffs, needing extra time to get over the top of the Queensland Firebirds 79-75. The Swifts could not be beaten out of second place heading into Sunday's clash against the Firebirds on Sunday but having Briony Akle's side had lost four of their past five games heading into Sunday's clash and were desperate to get their premiership quest back on track. But they had to do it the hard way, needing extra time to get over the top of the competition wooden spooners, who sent the first game of the season to extra time. Unable to lift themselves from the bottom of the ladder regardless of the result, the Firebirds were desperate to break a record run of 11 consecutive losses. They seemed set for more of the same after going down by five in the opening term but won the next three terms - by one, three and one point respectively - to level the game and force extra time. Ultimately though, the unforced errors that have blighted the Firebirds' season came back to haunt them. A missed simple shot from debutant Elsa Sif Sandholt - surprisingly injected into extra time for Mary Cholhok - and a poor pass and that turned over ball in their final attack told the tale of the year. Coach Kiri Wills said injecting Sandholt into extra time was a decision she stood by and she and her players had already got around the youngster. 'I just wanted to reiterate to her that I put her out there because I've got a lot of faith in her, and I'd do it again,' Wills said. 'There were errors at the end of the game, but that could have been done by other people on the court as well. 'So I'm happy with my change. Elsa's probably not quite as happy as you would want to be after a debut - it's pretty tough putting a debutant out there under that kind of pressure, but this is this is why we train, and this is what we're here for.' It was a gallant effort from the home side though and one that will give them confidence they can move on from a poor year. SWIFTS CONFIDENT DESPITE GRIND Like the Firebirds, the Swifts were undermanned, with experienced co-captain Paige Hadley (lower leg injury), and defender Teigan O'Shannassy, who will miss the remainder of the season with a back injury on the sidelines. Hadley did travel to Brisbane and helped warm the shooters up, so is not incapacitated but coach Briony Akle will want her available in the finals as the Swifts push for a third Super Netball title. Without her, the midcourt has been disjoined in recent weeks, with the NSW side struggling to have options to help the ball down the court. But in a grafting win against the Firebirds, they were forced to find a way in an effort that could be a bonus for their finals campaign. They head west next weekend, where they will face minor premiers West Coast Fever and have nothing to lose in a game in which the winners will claim a grand final place. But that doesn't daunt Akle or import shooter Helen Housby. 'I feel like as a group, we have definitely gone away and been to the bottom of bottom in terms of our feelings, our highs and lows, and at the end of the day, we were always in second spot,' Akle said. 'So after a few losses, you feel like you know the world's going to end, and the momentum is not with you, but I feel like it's only going to help us moving forward, that we've had the lows, and we're slowly improving and improving at the right time coming into finals.' FIREBIRDS LOOKING AHEAD Round 14 has been one of mass changes across the league, with players making their debuts and others getting their chance off the bench. And with contracts on the line, there's plenty to prove. The Firebirds had two potential debutants in Danielle Taylor, in for injured co-captain Hulita Veve and Elsa Sif Sandholt, who was on the bench for Abi Latu-Meafou. And the Icelandic-born shooter Sandholt became Firebird no.117 just minutes before halftime when she was injected into the game. Taylor then earnt her own number, becoming no.118 when she came on for Allison late in the third term after the England midcourter left the game. Where the Firebirds go from here is now the question for coach Kiri Wills and Firebirds staff, who have several big decisions to make on the futures of stalwarts, needing to change if they are to forge ahead next year. But somehow, their fans have not lost faith. They played in front of a sellout crowd of 4776 on Sunday, taking their season tally to a Nissan Arena record of 31,886 for the season.
News.com.au
06-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Super Netball: Vixens seal finals spot in two-point thriller against the Firebirds
The Melbourne Vixens have survived a nail biting final-quarter push from the competition wooden spooners to seal their place in the Super Netball finals. Outstanding long-range shooting from the Queensland Firebirds in the final super shot period allowed the visitors to claw their way within one point with just a minute left in the match but the Vixens weathered the storm to clinch a 64-62 win that sealed them third place heading into the final fixture and a guaranteed place in the finals. In what could have been Simone McKinnis's final match coaching at John Cain Arena - hosting rights for the minor semi-final will be decided in the final round of fixtures - the Vixens raced to a five-goal lead after the first quarter in a performance that seemed to set the tone for a comfortable win. The Queenslanders were unable to move from the bottom of the ladder but had plenty to play for, with just four players so far contracted for next season and were determined to be disruptors. They turned the match on its head in a 19-13 second term that handed them a one-point halftime lead and the promise of a grinding match. The Vixens rebounded again in the third but the game tightened up again when Emily Moore and Abigail Latu-Meafou slotted a combined three super shots in the final term, with the Vixens just getting over the line. 'It was a massive result for us and probably a much better result than how we handled the game last week,' Vixens goaler Kiera Austin said of her side being swamped by the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the final term last week. 'Massive credit to the Firebirds, they came out firing but it was great practice for us to work the ball around in the end and come away with the win.' DOING IT FOR SIMONE McKinnis announced weeks ago she will step down from coaching the club at the end of the season and would prefer there's little fuss around her tenure coming to an end. But the two-time premiership coach admitted there had been nerves and emotion when she arrived at John Cain Arena for what may have been her last game in charge at the venue. 'Surprisingly, I didn't know there was but when I arrived today, there was,' McKinnis said of the emotion that flooded her arriving at a match she knew her family and friends had gathered to watch. 'In the game not so much because I was just like, get the job done.' Vixens captain Kate Moloney said it was important to win not just for the team but for their coach. 'Simone doesn't like us talking about it too much but it is really important for us - it's important for us as a team to win, we want to be the best team we can,' Moloney said. 'And on a side note to that is we want to send Simone off on the best note we can. She's given so much to our club and hopefully we can keep the winning going.' CRUCIAL VIXENS WIN Wins to both the Lightning and Thunderbirds on Saturday put the defending premiers and Sunshine Coast side level on points with the Vixens, who needed to beat the Firebirds to lock up a finals spot. With the Thunderbirds and Lightning playing each other in the final round, one will knock the other out but the Vixens could still lose third place - and hosting rights in the minor semi-final - unless they are able to upset competition favourites West Coast Fever in Perth in the final round. 'It's a massive game for us and really good prep for us to go into finals,' Austin said of the clash. 'Exciting that that solidified us heading into finals but for us, building on that confidence, trusting each other, letting the ball go, you want to start going on that climb now and I think the girls are putting in some really good efforts, so just keep working along.' BIRDIES GALLANT IN DEFEAT The Firebirds extended their unenviable club record run of losses to 11 in a row but there were again promising signs. Macy Gardner one of just four players signed for next season, was among their best, with 11 goal assists, 20 feeds and two gains in her 50th Super Netball match. Captain and defender Ruby Bakewell-Doran and imports, defensive midcourter Imogen Allison and shooter Mary Cholhok are the other players whose futures are guaranteed for 2026, while goal attacks Latu-Meafou and Moore did their best in an effort to prove their worth for new contracts. The Firebirds round out the season with a home match against the NSW Swifts on Sunday.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vixens book finals spot as McKinnis signs off in style
The Melbourne Vixens have given long-time coach Simone McKinnis a parting gift by booking a spot in the Super Netball finals with a tense 64-62 win over the Queensland Firebirds. The Vixens (8-5) climbed into third place at John Cain Arena on Sunday, leapfrogging both Adelaide and Sunshine Coast (both 7-6), who meet in the last round of the regular season. It means the Vixens will play finals regardless of the result of their last-round away clash with top team West Coast Fever. Down by five goals at the last change, Queensland rolled the dice late as super shots from Abigail Latu-Meafou and Emily Moore got them back within one. But the Vixens wound down the clock superbly in the final minute and sealed the result through outstanding shooter Sophie Garbin (42/47) in the dying stages. "We got the win but it wasn't enjoyable viewing," McKinnis told Fox Sports after her final home game at the helm before she stands down at the end of the season. "It was tough and I think at times we made it hard for ourselves as well, but I'm happy with the win." McKinnis led the Vixens to national titles in 2014 and 2020, and can now turn her mind to potentially adding a third before her 14-year tenure ends. The former Australian Diamonds star admitted she had to tackle plenty of extra emotion around her last home-court appearance as coach. "In the game not so much because it was just like, 'Come on, get the job done'," McKinnis said. "I've got family here and when I realised that they were all coming today because it was my last game here, it was a bit emotional. "So I think I was mindful of just staying pretty calm." Under pressure to confirm a finals spot, Melbourne dominated the first period and looked as if they would take complete control when they led 18-12 at quarter-time. But the Firebirds didn't read the script, surging back into the contest late in the second quarter to take a 32-31 lead at halftime. McKinnis demanded a greater work rate from her team in the second half and eventually got it. The chase 👌🏼Watch every game live on Kayo Sports, Foxtel and Binge. — Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) July 6, 2025 A three-goal deficit midway through the third period was turned into a 49-44 lead at the final change on the back of a 15-6 run. The last-placed Firebirds threatened to pull off a major upset in the dying stages but could not complete their comeback attempt. McKinnis welcomed the last-round Fever clash as a chance for the Vixens to make a statement ahead of the finals. "If you're fair dinkum and you want to be going and winning finals, then you've got to be able to beat the best," she said. "I think it's a great game for us to be heading over there."
ABC News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Super Netball Round-Up: Sanmarie Visser's broken nose, a veteran coach steps down and is Gretel Bueta making a comeback?
As we edge towards the halfway point of the season there's one thing all Super Netball teams are struggling with: consistency. Even the undefeated NSW Swifts hadn't put in a full 60-minute performance until Sunday, when they managed to win their first opening quarter in a month against cross-town rivals the Giants. That laid the platform for them to clinch all four periods, 82-69, in what was a surprising high-scoring affair between top and bottom of the ladder. Sunshine Coast Lightning moved into second place with a 62-50 victory over the Melbourne Vixens. Simone McKinnis then shocked us all by announcing she'd step down as Vixens head coach at the end of this season. The game of the round was played between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and West Coast Fever, where each team's Jamaican target continued their race to 9,000 goals. Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard added 53 to her tally in the Fever's triumph, 67-61, and is now 12 goals away from the milestone. The Melbourne Mavericks are establishing a decent record in Hobart after beating the Queensland Firebirds, 71-64, in their second ever appearance on the Apple Isle. If you missed it, don't worry — we'll get you up to speed with our Super Netball Round-Up. In round five, McKinnis coached her 200th game in the national netball league. In round six, she quietly announced her decision to leave the role she's held for 13 seasons. Despite her contract being up at the end of the year and the team currently seventh with just two wins, by all reports this was Simone's decision that she came to on her own terms. The players were told in the days leading up to the game and shed tears as the news was made public. Captain Kate Moloney said it suddenly felt real and that the announcement should be enough motivation for the team to hold themselves accountable and turn their season around. As a coach, McKinnis delivered two premierships (2014 and 2020) and took the Vixens to four grand finals, including last year. The Vixens have a reputation for being a very clinical team with high standards and McKinnis has demanded excellence while caring deeply for her players. Netball Victoria will begin the recruiting process in the coming weeks. The interesting part is that McKinnis hasn't used the word retirement and says her love for coaching space is still strong. "It has been 13 years and it's just the time for me to move on," McKinnis said. "To be honest, I'm not one for announcements, I would have happily kept it in-house, but Netball Victoria wanted to get on with recruitment. "I don't know [where I'll end up next], it's not even something I've thought about … my job now is to find a way to make the rest of the season the best it can be, then I'll walk away and go on holiday and won't be driving up the freeway from Geelong to Melbourne every day. "We seem a bit flat and lifeless, maybe we just need to go to the pub." It was nice to see McKinnis's humorous side, indicating a weight had come off her shoulders. So, who will replace her? A Super Netball head coach needs to at least have their elite accreditation and to be working towards a high-performance accreditation. Several assistant coaches' names have been raised. Dylan Nexhip (Swifts) recently achieved elite, while Cathy Fellows (Thunderbirds) and Nicole Richardson (Mavericks) are believed to both have their high performance. It's hard to know who else could be in the running as the sport can be tight-lipped about these accreditations, but one thing we know about Netball Victoria is they like to recruit their own. Could one of the best goal attacks the game has seen be forging a comeback? In 2024, Gretel Bueta said she was focusing on her family. Now it seems she's had a change in mindset as tries to regain her fitness after giving birth to her third child, daughter Lacy. Netball fans were very excited when the former Diamonds star posted a video to her Instagram account practising her shooting alongside Australian head coach Stacey Marinkovich. It was quickly confirmed that this appearance was a clinic Bueta and Marinkovich were running for competition winners. False alarm, we thought. Until Marinkovich appeared on Fox Netball and added fuel to the fire. "Gretel is four months post baby and she's using netball as a tool to get fit, she's not retired so is just seeing where her body is at and you never know what could happen," Marinkovich said. "It is step by step, she's doing a good job working in the background, we'll see where it takes us." Bueta is not currently linked to any Super Netball or Queensland state team, but Firebirds goal attack Tippah Dwan ruled herself out of selection last week as she looks to rehab a knee injury. Bueta won two premierships with the team (2015 and 2016) and made headlines in 2021 when she returned to the top level four months after having her first child, son Bobby. She last played in 2022 before having her second child, Toby. In 2023 she worked as an assistant coach before taking a break from the game altogether. Last year, Bueta said she was keeping her distance because she'd been told she was a distraction. Diamonds contracts will be announced towards the end of the season, which will work in Bueta's favour. "We don't have to do it as early as what we have done before because there's no marquee event, so we'll push it back to allow players to showcase what they can do," Marinkovich said. If Bueta is fit and ready the national team would definitely want her in the environment as they build towards the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and a 2027 home World Cup. Particularly with the form of Sophie Dwyer and Sophie Garbin a bit shaky. Adelaide Thunderbirds general manager of high performance Jace Bode has spilled the tea on the club's signing of South African import Sanmarie Visser. On Netball Unlocked, Bode spoke about the sleepless nights he had trying to find a replacement for pregnant goal keeper Shamera Sterling-Humphrey. Super Netball teams were finalised in August and the two-time defending premiers did not expect they'd be trying to claim a three-peat without their marquee player. Bode said his instinct was to protect Sterling-Humphrey, even if it meant telling a white lie to conceal the true reason Visser was spotted at the pre-season Team Girls Cup. "When Shamera told us in early February … given everything that had played out with Fowler-Nembhard's [miscarriage], it was a sensitive topic," Bode said. "It didn't give us a lot of options for replacements and we're not blessed with a lot of height in our South Australia pathways, so we looked internationally. "Romelda Aiken-George had a knee cleanout, there was an opportunity to bring Sanmarie in as her replacement and we didn't disclose that Shamera was pregnant, but we said it was likely there would be an opportunity. "We tried to be as up front as we could be and asked, 'Can you take that leap of faith? Knowing there might not be anything on the end of it?' "She took that risk." Bode also confirmed rumours that Visser had a face injury before joining the Thunderbirds. ABC Sport were originally told Visser had fractured a bone around her eye socket during her international debut at the Nations Cup. Bode said it was a broken nose. Visser was spotted wearing a face guard in April at training, the club has now revealed she had surgery prior to her arrival in South Australia. "Sanmarie came with a broken nose and we didn't see her in a competitive environment while Romelda was injured … It did enable us to fast-track her development though." Playing across goal keeper, goal defence and wing defence, the 21-year-old has a bright future and has offered plenty of versatility in her three Super Netball appearances.
