The ANZ Premiership is reaching the halfway point and some selections in the match between the Northern Stars and the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic raised some eyebrows.
Casey Kopua and Leana de Bruin were both featured in the match - both former Silver Ferns and both stars of the game, however, they are 40 and 48 years old respectively.
This raises questions around why we aren't bringing through fresh young talent into the ANZ Premiership - and who will grow to be the next stars of Netball for New Zealand.
Debbie Christian is an executive at the New Zealand Netball Players Association, and she joined D'Arcy to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The A Z Premiership reaching the halfway point. Some selections
in the match between the Northern Stars and the way
Ketlebey are plenty magic raised a few eyebrows. Case of
Corpoor and Leanna and de Brune Sorry Leander du Brain
both featured in the match, both former silver Ferns, both
stars of the game, both in their forties one forty one,
(00:36):
forty eight nearly forty nine. I sound ages, but no,
there is methods of this madness. I'm not being agist right.
It raises questions around why Netble aren't bringing through fresh
young talent into the A and Z Premiership. Who will
go to be the next stars for Netball New Zealand.
It appears to me to be a guilty opportunity to
do so. But it's not about what I think, It's
(00:58):
about what Netble New Zealand think. More importantly, the Players Association.
Deb Christian is an executive at New Zealand Netble's Players Asociation.
He joins us now, She joins us now. Sorry, Debbie, Hi,
Debbie cureda.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I'm very good, great to have you on board? Interesting time.
It's a very new error in New Zealand netball and
after the huge shakeup of the last few months. You
know what I'm talking about. It's a strange space, isn't it?
In New Zealand netborl Right now, I'm talking about players
specifically being for the Netball Players Association. Over the weekend
we saw two absolute superstars of the game suiting up
(01:37):
for the Magic and the Stars. They're superstars though that
are in their forties, and I'm wondering about the logic
behind putting players of that ILK up ahead of the
young players coming through. I don't quite understand it. Can
you shed light on that, Debbie?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah, I think that's a really interesting question and one
that would be quite common around the country at the moment.
But I mean, firstly, how amazing were those two women,
those athletes. It's definitely took it to the opposition, So
that's exciting. I think like in this space, it's easy
to say, why are we putting our former players on
(02:16):
even though their performance was current, but over our young ones,
our young ones not ready? Is enough enough depth? And
I just think that's just too simplistic way of thinking.
There's many, many factors that come into that kind of
decision making.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Surely situation here, and I look at the Magic specifically,
I'm sitting at the bottom of the table, nothing really
to lose. Wouldn't it be best interest for the Magic
themselves Anthony Zella Netboard to say, you know what, here's
a young player. We're going to throw them in the
deep end and see how she swims. Isn't that the object?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah? And I think for the players in that Magic team,
and they've got a wealth of talent sitting on that bend,
So I don't think it's a lack of talent, and
I don't think for some of them it's a lack
of experience. But I think it's a situation. The Stars
are a very good team, as are many of the
teams in the comp But like I think, like the
coach has to weigh up what's happening this week for
(03:11):
this team, and there'll be things that we don't know about.
And if you have a player who's who brings that
experience in that leadership, like Katie does, I think you
have to sort of there's two ways of thinking it.
Do we put these young ones out and see how
they go and potentially it could go really badly or
it could go really well. Do we put someone like
Casey on who brings like additional experience not just her
(03:33):
athletic performance, Like what is it? And obviously the coach
has decided for that week in this particular game, it's
better to start with that more experienced player.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
I think franchise to franchise, you can't really speak for
them debuts is fair enough. You're not on the weed
gam as well, when you look at what the Ames
Premiership actually means, what it stands for. As I said,
it's a very odd time at the moment with a
lot of our players now playing over in Super netball.
But what is it? What is the Premiership for? Is
it purely to win? Is it our development? Is it
(04:04):
high performance? Where does it and how does this situation
apply to that?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Yeah? I actually think it's all of those things. I
think if you talk to any team on any given day,
their ultimate is to win. But also deeper than that,
it's to bring through players. It's to grow our next
silver ferns. It's to make young players aspire, you know,
Like it is all of those things, And I actually think, like,
where is an interesting term. I would use the term
(04:32):
exciting at the moment, and I know we have some
fantastic players who are sitting over in the Australian competition
at the moment. But if you have a look at
the young players who have been given their opportunities and
have taken them with both hands and run with them,
it is really exciting to see who is coming through.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
The young players themselves. Would they feel cheated to an agree,
Not not that you're in their heads and you don't know,
but okay, opportunity. Oh, Casey and Leanna are bugger. You
could see that process with them thinking, hey, we've been blocked,
even though ten eleven twelve the best players have disappeared
to the over the Tasman for a bit.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, I think initially when they find out those decisions,
that probably is one of their first thoughts. But I
know that the coaches would have explained their thinking and
their processes to those players as well, and so then
that would make sense. And I know, if I quote
Dame Lewis Muir, she always said, like to me as
I was coming through, sometimes it's not the best thing
for a player to put them out there.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Sometimes it is you just don't know, do you.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I know, And that's the thing. And I think, like
hindsight's always a beautiful thing, isn't it. Like you put
someone out there and it grows fantastic that you think
I made the right decision. You put someone out there
doesn't go that well and you think, you know, you
kind of get slammed for making the wrong decision. So
hindsight's great. But I think the coaches are playing with
what they know, and they know more than what we know, really,
don't they what's going on in the team and things
(05:55):
like that. So I think it's it's easy to say,
chuck those young ones out and see how they go,
but actually there might not be the right right decision
on the right day for that.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Well, it's great if they swim, it's awful if they yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Yeah, exactly exactly. And do you do you take that
rescal or do you side on the air of caution?
Like I think it's a really complex decision, and I
certainly wouldn't want to be a coach making that decision
because you'd want Do you want to put your young
ones out there? Absolutely, and you do have faith in them,
But I think there's probably other external forces that play
that have probably tipped them to put the por experienced
(06:29):
player on.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
What does it say to the development of New Zealand
netball r Indeed, look, some of them might not be ready,
but do you feel as part of the players Association
that that next tier is right there and ready to
play after losing some players overseas and looking at the
way netball's change, is that coming through we're developing the players.
(06:51):
Do you believe?
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Yes, absolutely, I do believe very strongly. Like I was
just at under fourteen trials last night and I see
some beautiful talent coming through. And it's like any sport,
when you have one of your senior players moved from
the top place, it does open up that bottom space
for people to come through. And I mean you do
only have to have a look at the lights of
I mean Catherine Hall, Laura Obama. You know, like there
(07:14):
is some really great young ones who probably I mean
Catherine probably would have but Laura said on the bench
last year and this year, give her some game time
and off she goes. But she's had that time on
the bench and she's been in that environment. So you
don't just have to play on the game day to
be developing. It's all that strength and conditioning, or the
coaching or the tactics, everything around being in the team
(07:38):
is all development as well.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
You missed out dealing with the media. Surely that's the
most important.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Part, absolutely, the beautiful media who we love.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
And when you look across the strength of the various teams,
plainly the Magic aren't having a great time, but the
Stars had that same time last year. So you look
at the six different teams, they've got their own internal
developments sorted out, ors just looked after at a higher level.
Because you could say there's a disparity there, Oh.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
No, I think you have to take injuries into consideration
and things like that as well. And the teams that
do have great development protocols going on and they always
got their finger on the pulse with who's coming through
and who needs development and who has exposure. And even
within the ANZ competition, you have the ten contracted players,
but then you have two training partners that come in
(08:27):
for the entire preseason and pop in and out during
the season. We have apprentice partners who come in in
the preseason and get sort of eight trainings that they
can come and have a touch point and experience that
level and then you of course you've got that in
in our league underneath that and then all your regional
representative teams, so the pathway is solid.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
More netble New Zealand Players Association like to see next
in this time of great change. Ideally, where does the
game need to head for the best interests of your
members of your players.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Oh, that is a good one. A whole lot of
money and put it no, I think all sports would
say that. I think, I mean nepel is just such
a fantastic sport and we see the viewership of the
an zed is really solid, we see participation rates that
the grassroots is really solid as well. So I think
just that continued growth in people and just everyone been
(09:25):
able to share that passion of the sport, no matter
what part they play in it. But I mean for
the players, I think being a semi professional player is
still really viable in New Zealand and I think it's
an exciting time of change to see where we can
push it for the future and perhaps even be that
leading sport and what professional sport looks like in the future.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
And on that note, well, let me get on with
your busy old day, Debbie part of the executive of
Players Association. Thank you very much for your time and
your chat.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
No problem.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Thank you For more from sports talk, Listen live to
news talks there'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The A Z Premiership reaching the halfway point. Some selections
in the match between the Northern Stars and the way
Ketlebey are plenty magic raised a few eyebrows. Case of
Corpoor and Leanna and de Brune Sorry Leander du Brain
both featured in the match, both former silver Ferns, both
stars of the game, both in their forties one forty one,
(00:36):
forty eight nearly forty nine. I sound ages, but no,
there is methods of this madness. I'm not being agist right.
It raises questions around why Netble aren't bringing through fresh
young talent into the A and Z Premiership. Who will
go to be the next stars for Netball New Zealand.
It appears to me to be a guilty opportunity to
do so. But it's not about what I think, It's
(00:58):
about what Netble New Zealand think. More importantly, the Players Association.
Deb Christian is an executive at New Zealand Netble's Players Asociation.
He joins us now, She joins us now. Sorry, Debbie, Hi,
Debbie cureda.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I'm very good, great to have you on board? Interesting time.
It's a very new error in New Zealand netball and
after the huge shakeup of the last few months. You
know what I'm talking about. It's a strange space, isn't it?
In New Zealand netborl Right now, I'm talking about players
specifically being for the Netball Players Association. Over the weekend
we saw two absolute superstars of the game suiting up
(01:37):
for the Magic and the Stars. They're superstars though that
are in their forties, and I'm wondering about the logic
behind putting players of that ILK up ahead of the
young players coming through. I don't quite understand it. Can
you shed light on that, Debbie?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah, I think that's a really interesting question and one
that would be quite common around the country at the moment.
But I mean, firstly, how amazing were those two women,
those athletes. It's definitely took it to the opposition, So
that's exciting. I think like in this space, it's easy
to say, why are we putting our former players on
(02:16):
even though their performance was current, but over our young ones,
our young ones not ready? Is enough enough depth? And
I just think that's just too simplistic way of thinking.
There's many, many factors that come into that kind of
decision making.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Surely situation here, and I look at the Magic specifically,
I'm sitting at the bottom of the table, nothing really
to lose. Wouldn't it be best interest for the Magic
themselves Anthony Zella Netboard to say, you know what, here's
a young player. We're going to throw them in the
deep end and see how she swims. Isn't that the object?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah? And I think for the players in that Magic team,
and they've got a wealth of talent sitting on that bend,
So I don't think it's a lack of talent, and
I don't think for some of them it's a lack
of experience. But I think it's a situation. The Stars
are a very good team, as are many of the
teams in the comp But like I think, like the
coach has to weigh up what's happening this week for
(03:11):
this team, and there'll be things that we don't know about.
And if you have a player who's who brings that
experience in that leadership, like Katie does, I think you
have to sort of there's two ways of thinking it.
Do we put these young ones out and see how
they go and potentially it could go really badly or
it could go really well. Do we put someone like
Casey on who brings like additional experience not just her
(03:33):
athletic performance, Like what is it? And obviously the coach
has decided for that week in this particular game, it's
better to start with that more experienced player.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
I think franchise to franchise, you can't really speak for
them debuts is fair enough. You're not on the weed
gam as well, when you look at what the Ames
Premiership actually means, what it stands for. As I said,
it's a very odd time at the moment with a
lot of our players now playing over in Super netball.
But what is it? What is the Premiership for? Is
it purely to win? Is it our development? Is it
(04:04):
high performance? Where does it and how does this situation
apply to that?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Yeah? I actually think it's all of those things. I
think if you talk to any team on any given day,
their ultimate is to win. But also deeper than that,
it's to bring through players. It's to grow our next
silver ferns. It's to make young players aspire, you know,
Like it is all of those things, And I actually think, like,
where is an interesting term. I would use the term
(04:32):
exciting at the moment, and I know we have some
fantastic players who are sitting over in the Australian competition
at the moment. But if you have a look at
the young players who have been given their opportunities and
have taken them with both hands and run with them,
it is really exciting to see who is coming through.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
The young players themselves. Would they feel cheated to an agree,
Not not that you're in their heads and you don't know,
but okay, opportunity. Oh, Casey and Leanna are bugger. You
could see that process with them thinking, hey, we've been blocked,
even though ten eleven twelve the best players have disappeared
to the over the Tasman for a bit.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, I think initially when they find out those decisions,
that probably is one of their first thoughts. But I
know that the coaches would have explained their thinking and
their processes to those players as well, and so then
that would make sense. And I know, if I quote
Dame Lewis Muir, she always said, like to me as
I was coming through, sometimes it's not the best thing
for a player to put them out there.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Sometimes it is you just don't know, do you.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I know, And that's the thing. And I think, like
hindsight's always a beautiful thing, isn't it. Like you put
someone out there and it grows fantastic that you think
I made the right decision. You put someone out there
doesn't go that well and you think, you know, you
kind of get slammed for making the wrong decision. So
hindsight's great. But I think the coaches are playing with
what they know, and they know more than what we know, really,
don't they what's going on in the team and things
(05:55):
like that. So I think it's it's easy to say,
chuck those young ones out and see how they go,
but actually there might not be the right right decision
on the right day for that.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Well, it's great if they swim, it's awful if they yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Yeah, exactly exactly. And do you do you take that
rescal or do you side on the air of caution?
Like I think it's a really complex decision, and I
certainly wouldn't want to be a coach making that decision
because you'd want Do you want to put your young
ones out there? Absolutely, and you do have faith in them,
But I think there's probably other external forces that play
that have probably tipped them to put the por experienced
(06:29):
player on.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
What does it say to the development of New Zealand
netball r Indeed, look, some of them might not be ready,
but do you feel as part of the players Association
that that next tier is right there and ready to
play after losing some players overseas and looking at the
way netball's change, is that coming through we're developing the players.
(06:51):
Do you believe?
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Yes, absolutely, I do believe very strongly. Like I was
just at under fourteen trials last night and I see
some beautiful talent coming through. And it's like any sport,
when you have one of your senior players moved from
the top place, it does open up that bottom space
for people to come through. And I mean you do
only have to have a look at the lights of
I mean Catherine Hall, Laura Obama. You know, like there
(07:14):
is some really great young ones who probably I mean
Catherine probably would have but Laura said on the bench
last year and this year, give her some game time
and off she goes. But she's had that time on
the bench and she's been in that environment. So you
don't just have to play on the game day to
be developing. It's all that strength and conditioning, or the
coaching or the tactics, everything around being in the team
(07:38):
is all development as well.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
You missed out dealing with the media. Surely that's the
most important.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Part, absolutely, the beautiful media who we love.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
And when you look across the strength of the various teams,
plainly the Magic aren't having a great time, but the
Stars had that same time last year. So you look
at the six different teams, they've got their own internal
developments sorted out, ors just looked after at a higher level.
Because you could say there's a disparity there, Oh.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
No, I think you have to take injuries into consideration
and things like that as well. And the teams that
do have great development protocols going on and they always
got their finger on the pulse with who's coming through
and who needs development and who has exposure. And even
within the ANZ competition, you have the ten contracted players,
but then you have two training partners that come in
(08:27):
for the entire preseason and pop in and out during
the season. We have apprentice partners who come in in
the preseason and get sort of eight trainings that they
can come and have a touch point and experience that
level and then you of course you've got that in
in our league underneath that and then all your regional
representative teams, so the pathway is solid.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
More netble New Zealand Players Association like to see next
in this time of great change. Ideally, where does the
game need to head for the best interests of your
members of your players.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Oh, that is a good one. A whole lot of
money and put it no, I think all sports would
say that. I think, I mean nepel is just such
a fantastic sport and we see the viewership of the
an zed is really solid, we see participation rates that
the grassroots is really solid as well. So I think
just that continued growth in people and just everyone been
(09:25):
able to share that passion of the sport, no matter
what part they play in it. But I mean for
the players, I think being a semi professional player is
still really viable in New Zealand and I think it's
an exciting time of change to see where we can
push it for the future and perhaps even be that
leading sport and what professional sport looks like in the future.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
And on that note, well, let me get on with
your busy old day, Debbie part of the executive of
Players Association. Thank you very much for your time and
your chat.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
No problem.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Thank you For more from sports talk, Listen live to
news talks there'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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