Latest news with #QueenslandFirebirds
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Selby-Rickit joins exodus to Australia
Te Paea Selby-Rickit playing for the Tactix in 2024. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES Te Paea Selby-Rickit is the latest Kiwi heading to Australia. The former Southern Steel and Silver Fern shooter, 33, was announced as the final signing for the Queensland Firebirds in Super Netball next season. Selby-Rickit, who has made herself unavailable for the black dress so did not require an exemption from Netball New Zealand, leaves the Mainland Tactix after winning the ANZ Premiership title this season. She studied at the University of Otago and played for the Southern Steel from 2011-19. She then moved to Christchurch where she has played for the past six years. Selby-Rickit debuted for the Silver Ferns in 2016 and has earned 66 caps, including winning the Netball World Cup in 2019 and bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2022. "I'm super excited to be joining the Queensland Firebirds.' "It's a new challenge that I'm really looking forward to. New team, new environment, and a great opportunity to play against the best." She joins Central Pulse defender Kelly Jackson and midcourter Maddy Gordon as the New Zealand internationals at the Brisbane team, coached by Kiwi Kiri Wills. Selby-Rickit will join Ugandan shooter Mary Cholhok in the circle and Australian Emily Moore. The Tactix have also farewelled former Steel defender Jane Watson, but there has been no word on her future. Steel midcourter Kate Heffernan has signed with the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Grace Nweke re-signed with the NSW Swifts.
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
The real reason Silver Fern Maddy Gordon is leaving the ANZ Premiership
Silver Fern Maddy Gordon admits the ANZ Premiership's uncertain future played a major role in her decision to leave the Central Pulse after seven years and three titles. The 29-test midcourter is joining the Queensland Firebirds in next year's Super Netball in Australia, following teammate Kelly Jackson and Kiwi coach
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Maddy Gordon to leave the Pulse and play in Australia
Maddy Gordon of New Zealand Photo: AAP / Another Silver Fern is heading across the Tasman to play their netball. Pulse midcourter Maddy Gordon has signed to play for the Queensland Firebirds in next year's Super Netball competition. She joins team-mate Kelly Jackson who announced her move to the Kiri Wills-coached Firebirds earlier this week. Queensland are making the most of the recent loosening of Netball New Zealand's eligibility policy . On Monday both Gordon and Jackson were named in Dame Noeline Taurua's first Silver Ferns squad of the year . Gordon has been with the Pulse since 2018 and has 29 Test caps. "I just can't thank the Pulse region enough," she said in a statement. "I came down here here as a young 18-year-old and they put me in the Manawa. "They backed me, they gave me a chance and not many people get given a shot like that." During her time in the Pulse, Gordon won three ANZ Premiership titles (2019, 2020 and 2022) and was MVP of the Pulse's 2020 Grand Final win. Firebirds head coach Wills welcomed the arrival of Gordon, who is able to perform at either wing attack or centre. "Maddy possesses a fantastic engine and brings a mix of pace and skill which has been proven at the highest levels internationally," Wills said. "Whether it is feeding our attack or providing disruption and hunting in defence, Maddy will be a great addition to our team for the 2026 season."
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Exodus of Kiwi netballers begins
The expected exodus of New Zealand's top netballers has begun. Silver Ferns star Kelly Jackson has announced she's headed to Australia next season, signing with the Queensland Firebirds. There's speculation several other of her national teammates could be about to follow her across the ditch. Sports correspondent Dana Johannsen spoke to Lisa Owen.
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.
