Keep Magic alive

Team-mates blast rule changes

KATIE BAYLIS

MAGIC shooting star Maria Tutaia has hit out at suggestions of a points ranking system to even out the spread of Silver Ferns across New Zealand's ANZ Championship franchises.

Concerns have been raised over the stacking of top New Zealand players within just a couple of teams, in particular the Magic side who have seven Silver Ferns on their roster.

But Tutaia says she would be less than impressed if rules were brought in that saw a limit on how many Ferns a team could boast, rules which could ultimately force her to move to another franchise.

"That would really anger me," Tutaia told Sunday News.

"Why would you want to be forced out of a franchise which has looked after you so well and you have gained a great relationship with as well?"

The issue has become a hot topic in netball, inspired mainly by the Pulse, a team that has yet to win a match in nearly a season and a half and has struggled to attract quality players, boasting just one Silver Fern in their squad in the last two years.

Compare that to the number of top players at the Magic, and even the Steel who have seven past or former New Zealand reps and the critics have a point.

But Tutaia says three of the Magic's Silver Ferns are Waikato-born and bred in Joline Henry, Laura Langman and Casey Williams and making players move away from where they want to play could be dangerous.

"The question really is why have these girls stayed with the Magic and why have the others come here?

"It's a great franchise that looks after their players and that's what you want as a player," she said.

"But it's not just about the franchise, it's about the girls you're playing with as well.

"If I was forced out of this team I would be disheartened and I feel it would compromise my ability to perform."

Tutaia's Magic team-mate, Silver Fern defender Leana de Bruin, played for the Mystics last year but moved south from the Auckland franchise this season, despite the fact she now has to compete with Williams and New Zealand squad member Jodi Tod for court time.

But she says her move was a lifestyle choice and any changes to the current placement of players would be an issue for her.

"We are really happy being back in the Waikato," de Bruin said.

"If I was younger it would be easier to commute but now I'm getting settled I don't want to do that any more.

"I'm getting to a stage in my life where I would rethink my netball career if I was forced to go somewhere else.

"But it would depend on when any changes came in."

De Bruin was almost guaranteed court time at the Mystics but already this year has been a regular on the bench for the Magic. Critics have waded in saying, as a Silver Fern, she would be more valuable to other New Zealand teams.

"One of the consequences of me moving here was I knew I wasn't going to get guaranteed game time," she said.

"It's probably not the best thing for my netball but for my personal life it's the best move I could have made."

Tutaia points to the fact she has also spent a lot of time on the bench in recent weeks, subbed for non-Silver Fern players like Jess Tuki and Halana Leith.

"It's something I haven't experienced in a while but, yes, we have had a lot of flak over how many Silver Ferns we have in our side," Tutaia said.

"But it's nice to be in a team where you're always fighting to get on court. You don't know you've got that bib automatically and that puts fire in your belly."

If changes to the competition do happen it won't be for some time, which means the Magic's main concern now is not how many Silver Ferns they have but how many wins they can chalk up this season.

And they will be looking for win No 6 from seven when they take on the Mystics in Rotorua tomorrow night.

- © Fairfax NZ News