Inconsistent rulings on import players tough on Tactix

Tactix management must be scratching their heads over the latest ruling on imports from Netball New Zealand which allowed a Silver Ferns-laden side an international recruit at the cost of a young Kiwi player.

The Waikato-BOP Magic were given the green light to rush in England international Jade Clarke to fill the spot left by former Australian defender Peta Scholz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last month.

Clarke stepped off the plane and straight into the Magic's starting seven for Monday's ANZ Championship key clash against the NSW Swifts – a game the Magic lost.

But her inclusion in the side has sparked suggestions of double standards and again highlighted that eligibility rules in netball's trans-Tasman league remain a contentious issue. In the first year of competition the Tactix were given special dispensation to field a second import when Jodi Brown, then suiting up in red-and-black, announced her pregnancy and withdrew for the second half of the league.

The next season the Southern Steel were initially denied the use of Australian Megan Dehn while the Northern Mystics were granted permission to field three players who were ineligible to play for the Silver Ferns.

And earlier this year the Tactix were unable to replace an injured imported defender with a shooter.

Now Clarke's inclusion comes at the cost of valuable court time for rookie Magic defender Elias Shadrock, 19, who has been earmarked as a player to watch in the future.

Confusing to say the least.

It appears the Tactix have been hard done by this year – denied an import to replace injured defender Peta Stephens who injured her shoulder in pre-season.

The difference is that the Tactix were aiming at a replacement at the other end of the netball court to bolster their inexperienced shooting circle. Netball New Zealand said then that the import was not a "like-for-like" replacement – a defender for a defender – which was in their criteria to rubber-stamp the change.

But the Tactix were also told that an import in their shooting circle would hinder the progress of 19-year-old goal shooter Ellen Halpenny.

Tell that to Shadrock, who now looks consigned to the Magic bench for the rest of the season.

There can be no doubting that Halpenny, playing in the pressure-filled role of shooter, will have benefited greatly from her time on court this season and has even earned praise from Ferns coach Ruth Aitken as a youngster who is a promising shooter.

But for a franchise which suffered a financial loss last season, seeing their side sitting at the bottom of the points table will be disheartening, and they must be wondering what might have been had there been options in their shooting circle that included an international import.

Unfortunately, not even NNZ has a crystal ball to make that call.

The only call that the Tactix will want them to make in the future is one which is clear for all to understand.

- © Fairfax NZ News