Central Pulse captain Kelly Jackson has become one of the latest players to be granted an exemption to play club netball offshore and remain eligible for the Silver Ferns.
Jackson —and Pulse teammate Maddy Gordon— are departing to join the Queensland Firebirds in 2026.
Jackson joined Adam Cooper to reflect on her six successful seasons in Wellington, and outline what could bring her back to netball on this side of the future.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well the player departures have started to be confirmed across
Netble's A and Z Premiership as top players earn exemptions
to play the Netble offshore and still be eligible for
the silver Fence. Now it comes amid a challenging outlook
for the domestic competition with no money being earned from
next year's TV rights deal with TV and Z. So
(00:21):
for the Central Pulse, captain Kellie Jackson confirmed during the
week she's departing after six seasons to head to the
Queensland fire Beds, and it's a couple of days later
it was announced mid quarter Maddie Gordon's also off She's
making the same move and heading to Queensland. So for
the Pulse, two major players gone and I think it
(00:41):
does start to see an end to a dominant era
of netball here in Wellington. Kelly Jackson's had six seasons
at the Pulse since arriving from the Magic in twenty twenty.
Of course, in that period she's led the team to
two A and Z Premiership titles and very successful stints
in most other years too, with the side going deep
into the playoffs. So to talk more about the move
(01:02):
and look back at a time with the Pulse. Kelly
Jackson is with me on the show this morning morning
to hear Kelly, congratulations on the new signing and you're
exciting move off shore. I'm sure it's been one of
the toughest decisions you've had to make through your netball career.
Can you just let us know. I guess how you
came to this final decision of wanting to head over
to Queensland for next year.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, well, fairly, it wasn't an easy decision. I absolutely
love the Pulse with all my soul and had loved
my last six years here and can't think them enough
for all the opportunities and the growth that I've given me.
But I feel like now is the right time. I've
done a lot of reflecting and I obviously had an
(01:45):
opportunity to head over to Australia and with the revision
of the exemption process, that was an opportunity I couldn't
say no to.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, and given there was some uncertainty starting to linger
around a we while to go around the future of
the A and Z premiership, had you considered an Australian
move like this one even before there was talk of
some eligibility exemptions.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, well, I've kind of dabbled in the idea of
the last couple of years, but ultimately playing in the
Silver Ferns was my number one priority, and without the
exemption process in place, that meant I'd have to pick
one or the other. And I'd always chosen silver Ferns obviously,
But now that a new process was put in place
and obviously went through it and was successful and I
(02:29):
can now do both. That means, you know, I can
jump over the ditch.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
How was that process to go through? It's obviously new
for everyone. How did you find that from a player's
perspective of being in those talks with Netborn New Zealand
and getting the exemption.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, we'll definitely made to reflect and have to think
really hard in terms of whether this was the right
decision for you. And that was the whole intention of
the process, or one of the intentions of intentions of
the process, was making sure that you're confident in your
decision and knowing that it's not only going to be
serve you well, but also serving it with New Zealand well.
(03:05):
And it was a learning process for everyone obviously as players,
we haven't been through it before and neither had nitble
New Zealand, so really appreciate the work that they've been
able to put into this and allow us this opportunity.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Given how most netball careers work in New Zealand, for
top players like yourself, they you know, they start in
New Zealand, they end in New Zealand. So you know,
if you think back a couple of years ago, before
a lot of this uncertainty happened, did you ever think
that you'd be even spending even just one season outside
of New Zealand and playing netball.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
No, not really. I guess for the last week while
I've been holding onto the hope that maybe that'd allow
a couple of New Zealand teams back into the competition
over there. I spent my first two years in the
A and Z Premiership for it was the A Z Championship.
Back then I was able to play in the competition
where it was transcendment and that was awesome. So I've
(03:56):
kind of been holding onto the hope that maybe, you know,
a few years on, teams would link up with the
Australian competition. That hasn't happened yet. You know, maybe in
the future it may happen again, I don't know, And
I'd love to come back and play for a New
Zealand club if that would happened. But yeah, at the stage,
I'm just really excited to be joining the Flybirds and
(04:17):
taking myself out of my comfort zone and giving myself
a new challenge to look forward to.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, and Ketty Wells obviously at the helm they're at
the Firebirds. What have they kind of offered you or
promised you as sort of to why that's a good
move for you heading over there?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Oh? Well, I obviously. Oh that's a hard one. What
can I say? What do they promisely?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
I just think you know, the team, there's so much potential.
They haven't had great success in the last couple of years,
but they've got some young some really good promising players.
They've got some great imports in there in terms of
Mary from Uganda, you've got Emma jen Allison from England.
So you know, we can mash togither all out international
(05:03):
flare and create some beautiful Nipple And I'm just really
excited to learn lots from their environment and get stuck in.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
And Nipple's obviously going through a little bit of uncertainty
at the moment, and I suspect we'll see a few
more players head over that way as well. But you know,
what would you say is your long term future as
to a possible return to New Zealand or return to
the Pulse once I guess the future years are a
little bit more certain.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
I guess you never know what's going to happen, and
I don't want to close that door. I would love
to come back and finish my career in New Zealand,
but I don't want to make any promises. But yes,
definitely not a no at this stage.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
How's this all played out like? Has it been a
sort of situation where you as players have all kind
of talked to each other about this a lot, and
you know, major plans or have you all sort of
got about it quite separately as you've looked around, I
guess and sort of just wondered what was next for
each of you individually.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I guess different people have approached it different ways. I've
kind of stuck to myself, and you know, it's not
an easy position. It's not a comfortable position to be in,
very exciting, but you know, you want to partect yourself.
You want to do what's best for your career and
hopefully I'll be able to go over there, learn notts
(06:24):
and be nipple, be a bit a nippler for it.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
And you've been a dominant player in this competition. And
you know, with yourself and maybe several other top players departing,
do you feel the league will? You know we'll be
strong next year? It will be we'll be able to
still you know, give the best nipballers and he zeal
And the chance to throw.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I think we've got an awesome league over here. I
think we create an awesome product that fills the stadiums
and gets bums on seats behind TV. So I have
no doubt that the that the league is going to
keep building from year to year. And I just see
with a few of the sitting over to Australia, it
just gives opportunities to younger ones coming through for more
(07:05):
court time in a starting seven position.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
All right, So you're finishing up in Wellington after arriving
here in twenty twenty, and what an amazing era it
has been for the Pulse through that time. Obviously a
couple of titles pretty much making the playoffs nearly every
year since you've been here. How much pride do you
reflect on your time at the Pulse with as you
look back through that time.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yeah, well, it's been a pretty epic six years. I
arrived at Pulse wanting to bear a bitter nitballer, win
premierships and also represent my home region of tum Nucky,
and I feel very, very lucky in the fact that
I've been able to achieve all three of those things.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yeah, amazing. Is there any particular moment or particular season
that that sort of sits above all else?
Speaker 2 (07:52):
I don't think anything can top the twenty twenty two season,
our last premiership win. That was our first home grand
final at tsp We sold out that match within minutes
and it was a pretty awesome atmosphere and a pretty
awesome result we got out of that. So that's definitely
up there as one of my favorite Pulse memories.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
And the Pulse has such a good following obviously, fans
pack into tesp Arena or other parts of the central
Zone when games are taken there too. How much of you,
I guess appreciated just the wider Netble fraternity down here
in Wellington.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
I think that's been one of the coolest parts that
being a netballer is the people you meet in pulse
of such an incredible and loyal fan base. I've got
an awesome relationship. Well, we've got an awesome relationship with
all our partners. We will been able to get to
know them on a personal level, all our members, all
the staff or the management, and obviously all the players.
(08:48):
So will I'll walk away knowing that I've been able
to build some pretty special relationships.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
And you won't have to pack too much warm weather
clothes for Queensland either.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Will you. No, I'll hope to get you to the
heat over there. I'm not sure how windy it is
over there, but it might be quite nice of a break.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
From the wind exactly. And just finally on this year, Kelly,
Obviously it's a big year. You've got the test commitments
with the Silver Ferns, and then I know that pre
season does start a lot earlier in that Australian competition too.
So what sort of do way you sort of see
the rest of your netball year playing out?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
M Yeah, well, once I get through today, I guess
my folks will be back into Silver Ferns. That got
announced yesterday. I think we've got a really exciting group there.
We've got three tours, got South Africa Ozzie and then
we're heading up to England and Scotland which is really
exciting and we haven't been up north for a while,
so a big international season. I'll have a couple of
(09:44):
weeks break and then I'll head over to Brisbane.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Well Kelly, all the very best with the move, and
you know, congratulations on everything you've achieved and what you've
brought to sports fans and Wellington over the years with
the success of the Central Pulse. So thanks as always
for your time and all the very best for the
months and year or so.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I hid amazing. Thank you so much, Adam.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
For more from News Talk st B, listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
Well the player departures have started to be confirmed across
Netble's A and Z Premiership as top players earn exemptions
to play the Netble offshore and still be eligible for
the silver Fence. Now it comes amid a challenging outlook
for the domestic competition with no money being earned from
next year's TV rights deal with TV and Z. So
(00:21):
for the Central Pulse, captain Kellie Jackson confirmed during the
week she's departing after six seasons to head to the
Queensland fire Beds, and it's a couple of days later
it was announced mid quarter Maddie Gordon's also off She's
making the same move and heading to Queensland. So for
the Pulse, two major players gone and I think it
(00:41):
does start to see an end to a dominant era
of netball here in Wellington. Kelly Jackson's had six seasons
at the Pulse since arriving from the Magic in twenty twenty.
Of course, in that period she's led the team to
two A and Z Premiership titles and very successful stints
in most other years too, with the side going deep
into the playoffs. So to talk more about the move
(01:02):
and look back at a time with the Pulse. Kelly
Jackson is with me on the show this morning morning
to hear Kelly, congratulations on the new signing and you're
exciting move off shore. I'm sure it's been one of
the toughest decisions you've had to make through your netball career.
Can you just let us know. I guess how you
came to this final decision of wanting to head over
to Queensland for next year.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, well, fairly, it wasn't an easy decision. I absolutely
love the Pulse with all my soul and had loved
my last six years here and can't think them enough
for all the opportunities and the growth that I've given me.
But I feel like now is the right time. I've
done a lot of reflecting and I obviously had an
(01:45):
opportunity to head over to Australia and with the revision
of the exemption process, that was an opportunity I couldn't
say no to.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, and given there was some uncertainty starting to linger
around a we while to go around the future of
the A and Z premiership, had you considered an Australian
move like this one even before there was talk of
some eligibility exemptions.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, well, I've kind of dabbled in the idea of
the last couple of years, but ultimately playing in the
Silver Ferns was my number one priority, and without the
exemption process in place, that meant I'd have to pick
one or the other. And I'd always chosen silver Ferns obviously,
But now that a new process was put in place
and obviously went through it and was successful and I
(02:29):
can now do both. That means, you know, I can
jump over the ditch.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
How was that process to go through? It's obviously new
for everyone. How did you find that from a player's
perspective of being in those talks with Netborn New Zealand
and getting the exemption.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, we'll definitely made to reflect and have to think
really hard in terms of whether this was the right
decision for you. And that was the whole intention of
the process, or one of the intentions of intentions of
the process, was making sure that you're confident in your
decision and knowing that it's not only going to be
serve you well, but also serving it with New Zealand well.
(03:05):
And it was a learning process for everyone obviously as players,
we haven't been through it before and neither had nitble
New Zealand, so really appreciate the work that they've been
able to put into this and allow us this opportunity.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Given how most netball careers work in New Zealand, for
top players like yourself, they you know, they start in
New Zealand, they end in New Zealand. So you know,
if you think back a couple of years ago, before
a lot of this uncertainty happened, did you ever think
that you'd be even spending even just one season outside
of New Zealand and playing netball.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
No, not really. I guess for the last week while
I've been holding onto the hope that maybe that'd allow
a couple of New Zealand teams back into the competition
over there. I spent my first two years in the
A and Z Premiership for it was the A Z Championship.
Back then I was able to play in the competition
where it was transcendment and that was awesome. So I've
(03:56):
kind of been holding onto the hope that maybe, you know,
a few years on, teams would link up with the
Australian competition. That hasn't happened yet. You know, maybe in
the future it may happen again, I don't know, And
I'd love to come back and play for a New
Zealand club if that would happened. But yeah, at the stage,
I'm just really excited to be joining the Flybirds and
(04:17):
taking myself out of my comfort zone and giving myself
a new challenge to look forward to.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, and Ketty Wells obviously at the helm they're at
the Firebirds. What have they kind of offered you or
promised you as sort of to why that's a good
move for you heading over there?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Oh? Well, I obviously. Oh that's a hard one. What
can I say? What do they promisely?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
I just think you know, the team, there's so much potential.
They haven't had great success in the last couple of years,
but they've got some young some really good promising players.
They've got some great imports in there in terms of
Mary from Uganda, you've got Emma jen Allison from England.
So you know, we can mash togither all out international
(05:03):
flare and create some beautiful Nipple And I'm just really
excited to learn lots from their environment and get stuck in.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
And Nipple's obviously going through a little bit of uncertainty
at the moment, and I suspect we'll see a few
more players head over that way as well. But you know,
what would you say is your long term future as
to a possible return to New Zealand or return to
the Pulse once I guess the future years are a
little bit more certain.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
I guess you never know what's going to happen, and
I don't want to close that door. I would love
to come back and finish my career in New Zealand,
but I don't want to make any promises. But yes,
definitely not a no at this stage.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
How's this all played out like? Has it been a
sort of situation where you as players have all kind
of talked to each other about this a lot, and
you know, major plans or have you all sort of
got about it quite separately as you've looked around, I
guess and sort of just wondered what was next for
each of you individually.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I guess different people have approached it different ways. I've
kind of stuck to myself, and you know, it's not
an easy position. It's not a comfortable position to be in,
very exciting, but you know, you want to partect yourself.
You want to do what's best for your career and
hopefully I'll be able to go over there, learn notts
(06:24):
and be nipple, be a bit a nippler for it.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
And you've been a dominant player in this competition. And
you know, with yourself and maybe several other top players departing,
do you feel the league will? You know we'll be
strong next year? It will be we'll be able to
still you know, give the best nipballers and he zeal
And the chance to throw.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I think we've got an awesome league over here. I
think we create an awesome product that fills the stadiums
and gets bums on seats behind TV. So I have
no doubt that the that the league is going to
keep building from year to year. And I just see
with a few of the sitting over to Australia, it
just gives opportunities to younger ones coming through for more
(07:05):
court time in a starting seven position.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
All right, So you're finishing up in Wellington after arriving
here in twenty twenty, and what an amazing era it
has been for the Pulse through that time. Obviously a
couple of titles pretty much making the playoffs nearly every
year since you've been here. How much pride do you
reflect on your time at the Pulse with as you
look back through that time.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yeah, well, it's been a pretty epic six years. I
arrived at Pulse wanting to bear a bitter nitballer, win
premierships and also represent my home region of tum Nucky,
and I feel very, very lucky in the fact that
I've been able to achieve all three of those things.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yeah, amazing. Is there any particular moment or particular season
that that sort of sits above all else?
Speaker 2 (07:52):
I don't think anything can top the twenty twenty two season,
our last premiership win. That was our first home grand
final at tsp We sold out that match within minutes
and it was a pretty awesome atmosphere and a pretty
awesome result we got out of that. So that's definitely
up there as one of my favorite Pulse memories.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
And the Pulse has such a good following obviously, fans
pack into tesp Arena or other parts of the central
Zone when games are taken there too. How much of you,
I guess appreciated just the wider Netble fraternity down here
in Wellington.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
I think that's been one of the coolest parts that
being a netballer is the people you meet in pulse
of such an incredible and loyal fan base. I've got
an awesome relationship. Well, we've got an awesome relationship with
all our partners. We will been able to get to
know them on a personal level, all our members, all
the staff or the management, and obviously all the players.
(08:48):
So will I'll walk away knowing that I've been able
to build some pretty special relationships.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
And you won't have to pack too much warm weather
clothes for Queensland either.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Will you. No, I'll hope to get you to the
heat over there. I'm not sure how windy it is
over there, but it might be quite nice of a break.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
From the wind exactly. And just finally on this year, Kelly,
Obviously it's a big year. You've got the test commitments
with the Silver Ferns, and then I know that pre
season does start a lot earlier in that Australian competition too.
So what sort of do way you sort of see
the rest of your netball year playing out?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
M Yeah, well, once I get through today, I guess
my folks will be back into Silver Ferns. That got
announced yesterday. I think we've got a really exciting group there.
We've got three tours, got South Africa Ozzie and then
we're heading up to England and Scotland which is really
exciting and we haven't been up north for a while,
so a big international season. I'll have a couple of
(09:44):
weeks break and then I'll head over to Brisbane.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Well Kelly, all the very best with the move, and
you know, congratulations on everything you've achieved and what you've
brought to sports fans and Wellington over the years with
the success of the Central Pulse. So thanks as always
for your time and all the very best for the
months and year or so.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I hid amazing. Thank you so much, Adam.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
For more from News Talk st B, listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
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