Australian netball legends have taken different views of Diamonds’ protests during controversial awards night

Two legends of Australian netball have very different takes on player protests during controversial awards night, writes LINDA PEARCE.

Jill McIntosh won the Legend of Australian Netball award this year. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

Newly-elevated Netball Australia Hall of Fame Legend Jill McIntosh has described the Diamonds’ industrial protests at Saturday night’s controversial awards ceremony as “embarrassing” — a stance at odds with her fellow Legend and former coach Joyce Brown, who has labelled NA’s actions “an unbelievable disgrace”.

At the Australian Netball Awards function boycotted by Super Netball players and attended by the national squad only under the threat of legal action from the governing body, McIntosh became the sixth woman to be awarded the sport’s highest local honour.

Each of the Diamonds who spoke on stage prefaced their remarks with a statement of solidarity for their absent SSN colleagues, whose no-show was in response to the protracted Collective Player Agreement stand-off – although CODE Sports can reveal that Team Participation Agreements have finally been signed.

“I thought it was disappointing for everyone concerned. It wasn’t the forum for the players to be putting forward their grievances. It’s embarrassing for netball. It’s not a good look for netball. It’s just not a good look at all,’’ said McIntosh, a playing and coaching great from the 1970s to early 2000s.

“It was a night about awards. We had sponsors there, and I just kept thinking, ‘Man, what are the sponsors thinking about all of this?’ And then when that sponsor’s contract is up, what are they thinking then? Do they still want to be involved in this sport?’

“I thought everyone should have put aside their differences and made it an awards night, and a very successful awards night, not a night to air grievances. Not good.’’

McIntosh (front row, second from right) and Liz Ellis (top left) in 1997.

Yet Brown, another multiple world championship-winning player and coach, excoriated NA for its handling of the Diamonds’ boycott threat and accused the association of “eating its own’’.

“I’m gobsmacked. I mean, how do you take legal action against your own? How do you take legal action against the players? There’s no game without the players. The game is the players,’’ Brown said.

“Those players have been painted as whingeing elitists, and yet they’ve been through the storm of sponsorship, ethics, they’ve been through a barrage of hot-headed words on both sides. No one gets anywhere with hot heads.’’

Brown, who — unlike former captain Liz Ellis, after whom the main player gong is named — was invited well before the RSVP date, could not attend the dinner due to ill-health but contacted embattled chair Wendy Archer directly on Monday.

“I’ve spoken with her, and just tried to get through my dismay that we would legally threaten our own, and just what an unbelievably sad position we are in,’’ she said.

“I know the world’s at war, but if you can’t get players to negotiate to sit down to a nice three-course meal, maybe your negotiation days are to be questioned.

“I just think the performance of the CEO (Kelly Ryan) and the chairperson and her board should be evaluated; as the players’ are every time they step onto the court. And I’m sorry, (their performance) would not be at world championship level. It has been extremely poor and taken us to the lowest point of human relations among our own family.

“I just said (to Archer) that is it a time for them to consider their positions and their performance over the last 12 months to two years? “They’ve fractured the whole fabric of netball, and to turn on your own and eat your own and threaten your own is the pits.

“The players have held up their end. They have done a herculean job. But I throw doubts over what our management has done.’’

Joyce Brown (c) with Jill McIntosh (far left) in 1991.

While Brown and McIntosh share mutual respect rather than personal animosity, they were on opposing sides of last year’s Hancock Prospecting sponsorship imbroglio. But both agree that the impasse that has left SSN players without pay or contracts for the past eight weeks must be resolved immediately.

“I don’t know enough about the ins and outs of it, but it’s gone on too long, and both parties need to sit down and sort it out,’’ McIntosh said before returning to the UK, where she is currently coaching the Celtic Dragons in the Superleague.

“I just think netball needs to be putting on a united front, and in this day and age where you’ve got AFLW, you’ve got women’s soccer, after the Matildas did so well, you’ve got the women’s cricket … young kids and parents, they’re not looking favourably at netball.

“If both parties just have to take a back seat and get it sorted, well so be it, because it’s just not a good look. And nor for sponsors. Why would any sponsors at the moment want to be involved with netball?’’

More encouragingly, Brown said a respectful “exchange of observations” with Archer had left her optimistic that change would come. “Yes, I think the states and the body of netball will force change.’’

At board level or elsewhere?

“Everywhere. We’ve got learn to appreciate what we each put into the game.’’

Ellis, who met recently with Archer and Ryan, was making no further public comment following Monday’s social media statement confirming CODE Sports’ report about the circumstances around her non-attendance at the awards night in Melbourne.

Admitting her disappointment and embarrassment had turned to anger over NA’s “callous disregard” for its players and the constant crises that continue to arise, Ellis questioned whether Netball Australia “is capable of providing the leadership the sport so desperately needs”.

The casual board vacancy caused by the sudden resignation of board member Jane Seawright in mid-October is not yet believed to have been filled. Other than Archer and her predecessor Marina Go, other current directors are Todd Deacon, Mo’onia Gerrard, Cheryl Kickett-Tucker, Peter Legg, John O’Sullivan and Gabbi Stubbs.

Originally published as Australian netball legends have taken different views of Diamonds’ protests during controversial awards night