Netball: Australia v England series cancelled, Geva Mentor’s charter home
An international netball star stranded in New Zealand will return to Australia after a benefactor organised a private charter.
Netball
Don't miss out on the headlines from Netball. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Netball star Geva Mentor will return to Australia in just over a week after a benefactor organised a private charter out of New Zealand to help her home.
The England veteran and Collingwood captain was facing more than a month stranded across the ditch after the Roses’ three-Test series against Australia’s Diamonds was cancelled due to the ongoing suspension of the trans-Tasman travel bubble.
Mentor, an Australian resident, had been part of England’s three-Test series against the Silver Ferns in New Zealand and had expected to travel back to Australia this week to prepare for the Roses’ series against the Diamonds.
Watch every episode of brand new documentary Everything Is Possible: Inside Season 2020 with Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial >
While England’s players and officials will head home today after the Diamonds series was cancelled at the weekend, Mentor was facing the prospect of being stranded in New Zealand for more than a month until she could fly into Sydney via Fiji.
But reaching out to a social media audience of more than 50,000 and with national netball bodies in England, Australia and New Zealand working behind the scenes, Mentor has been able to secure a flight back into Sydney in just over a week’s time.
“My unashamable social posts have come up trumps and I can’t thank a wonderful person enough for being able to arrange a private chartered plane for me to get back into Australia,” Mentor said of her mystery benefactor.
Gutted! 😩Now if anyone is hiring a charter flight from NZ-AUS in the next week that has space for one person, let me know! Help get me home! #StrandedInNZ#OnlyMe#PleaseSharehttps://t.co/yMePhDj0em
— Geva Mentor CBE (@GevaMentor) September 25, 2021
“From Auckland to Sydney on the 7th of October, I’ll be able to touch down in Australia and begin my two weeks’ quarantine.
“I just want to say a massive thank you to Netball New Zealand, Netball Australia and England Netball who have been super supportive along the way in helping me to get through this situation that we weren’t anticipating to happen due to the cancellation of the Australian series.
“They’ve definitely been there all the way supporting me and its just tough with government restrictions and protocols in this new Covid landscape for sport.”
Mentor will have to complete quarantine in Sydney before returning to Melbourne but will now be able to begin Super Netball pre-season preparations with her Collingwood teammates.
How the Mentor saga unfolded
Star netballer Geva Mentor could be stranded in New Zealand for more than a month after she became the collateral damage from the decision to cancel the Australia-England Test series.
The three-Test series between England and Australia was cancelled at the weekend due to the ongoing closure of the trans-Tasman travel bubble, with officials unable to secure hard quarantine-free passage for the Roses squad.
But unable to gain permission for a soft quarantine where the Roses could continue to train ahead of the Diamonds Tests, the series was cancelled based on a combination of factors including the health and wellbeing of athletes.
Mentor, the Collingwood Magpies captain and an Australian resident, was the only Australian-based England player to take part in the New Zealand series, with fellow Super Netball players Jo Harten, Helen Housby, Nat Haythornthwaite and Stacey Francis-Bayman set to link with the squad ahead of their series against the Diamonds.
It means that while the rest of the Roses squad will fly out of New Zealand for England next week, Mentor will be stranded, with the closure of the trans-Tasman bubble meaning she may not be able to get back to Melbourne until November.
“They’ll head off on Wednesday morning and I’ll wave them off and probably head to the North Island and camp down with mum’s cousins in Waitomo and just pray that a miracle happens,” she said.
“At the moment, with travel agencies and Netball Australia and Netball England looking into things, the next available flight to Australia is on the first of November via Fiji for one night, into Sydney, so it doesn’t even get me into my home state.
“If there’s anyone who’s got a spare seat for me - I don’t mind any port into Australia and I don’t mind any route, I’m ready to go.
“I’m prepared to get to wherever I need to be to get out. And I’m not just looking for free passage, I’ve got governing bodies who are prepared to support me and pay for that flight over, it’s just trying to find an actual seat.
“It’s an absolute mess.”
England was scheduled to head to Australia on a chartered flight following their series win against the Silver Ferns.
But after their matches against the Diamonds were cancelled, so was that flight, with the rest of the Roses heading out of New Zealand to England, leaving Mentor stranded.
“I’m left in limbo,” she said.
Just to get to New Zealand, Mentor had to fly to Singapore to meet up with the rest of the England squad before heading on with the team.
“What I didn’t anticipate was getting stuck in New Zealand but as it got closer to decision day in terms of whether the series was going to go ahead or not in Australia, I started to raise a bit of concern.
“I guess they’ve got a party of 20 to sort out, it gets down to the point of it should be fine to get one person back to Australia but that’s not the case.
“I’m crossing fingers that someone’s hired a chartered plane and reaches out.
“I appreciate there’s other people in worse situations then myself and there’s worse places to be stranded but I’ve been on the road for the last 18 months, I haven’t spent too much time at home as it is and we’re coming into a huge year with Super Netball and Commonwealth Games and it would be nice to have a bit of time to reset and be at home.”
Diamonds’ Test series against Eng cancelled
The Diamonds’ preparations for the Commonwealth Games has suffered a major setback with their three-Test series against England cancelled after officials were unable to secure quarantine-free entry to Australia for the Roses squad.
England had been due to head to Australia from New Zealand, where they secured a historic series win against the Silver Ferns on Friday night.
But with the trans-Tasman travel bubble closed due to Covid cases on both sides of the ditch, England would have had to complete a 14-day hotel quarantine stint ahead of the series.
Netball Australia (NA) officials have been working tirelessly over the past month to try to gain quarantine exemptions for the Roses given they had already served a two-week lockdown on arrival in New Zealand earlier this month.
That was going to be impossible in Western Australia — where Diamonds players from Perth and Victoria initially assembled in camp and was an early frontrunner to host the series — forcing officials to focus on Queensland.
The Sunshine State has been the centre of Australia’s sporting universe for much of the past 16 months, hosting myriad teams and competitions from domestic to international level.
And when the Perth squad travelled to the Sunshine Coast earlier this week, it seemed the series still had life in it.
Another hard quarantine period was understood to be a deal-breaker for the Roses and NA officials have been working around the clock with Queensland Health to try and find a resolution.
But given there are still active cases in New Zealand, quarantine was not negotiable.
BREAKING NEWS
— Origin Diamonds (@AussieDiamonds) September 25, 2021
Due to the implications of travel and quarantine, the planned October series between the Origin Australian Diamonds and Netball England's Vitality Roses will no longer go ahead.
Full details - https://t.co/kpsBpUdAjIpic.twitter.com/kzAlkKPlvr
The Roses will return to England in the coming days, while the Diamonds will remain on the Sunshine Coast where they will kick-off preparations for next year’s Commonwealth Games with a two-week camp.
“We are incredibly disappointed that this series will not go ahead,” Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan said.
“We thank Netball England, Netball New Zealand and the state and federal governments for their support and unwavering commitment to play this series.
“The evolving COVID-19 restrictions meant that the Roses would have completed two quarantine periods during the series, which has significant impacts on health and wellbeing and performance.
“I am proud of Diamonds head coach Stacey Marinkovich and our athletes and staff for their commitment, resilience and understanding during these uncertain times.”
With the Constellation Cup against the Silver Ferns also postponed, the Diamonds are craving international competition ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games.
They are now planning to use the Sunshine Coast camp for intense game simulation.
“The Origin Australian Diamonds will make the most of their two-week training camp on the Sunshine Coast, with match-play and fan engagement opportunities to be worked through in the coming days,” Ryan said.
Watson’s time to shine as Diamonds captain
Liz Watson says she is honoured to join a list of netball legends to have led the Diamonds after being appointed Australia’s 25th captain.
Watson, who is injured, captained Australia three times this year during the Constellation Cup in New Zealand.
The Melbourne Vixens midcourt ace has been installed as permanent leader – with Sunshine Coast Lightning shooter Steph Wood her vice-captain – leading into next year’s Commonwealth Games and world championships in 2023.
Watson, who has been described by her teammates as a calm and controlled leader who empowers them both on and off the court, won the position after a vote and interview process involving national coach Stacey Marinkovich, Netball Australia chief executive Kelly Ryan and former Diamonds captain Liz Ellis.
“I’m still in a bit of shock,” Watson said.
“It was an overwhelming feeling when I was told by Stacey but I’m just really excited.
“I am really honoured. To play for your country and then to be able to say you’ve captained it, there’s not really much to say, it’s exciting.
“The players that have had that role in the past – (as) part of the interview process Liz Ellis was on the call and she’s someone who’s done so much for our sport and was a great leader – so just even that interview process with her was an amazing experience.”
Wood has not played a Test since the World Cup in 2019 after being ruled out of the Constellation Cup with injury and said it was great to be back in the Diamonds camp.
“It was definitely a little bit of a shock when Stacey told me (about the vice-captaincy role) but something I’m really excited to take the role on and see where this team can go,” Wood said. “We want to be performing when we play against England in a few weeks’ time hopefully.
“But big picture is we want to be at our best when the Comm Games rolls around next year.”
Marinkovich resisted the urge to put permanent captains in place in her first series in charge but said the “streamlined leadership approach” allowed the Diamonds to recognise the leadership qualities the team valued and the fact they were reflected best by Watson and Wood.
“Liz is an incredible person, player and leader and we are thrilled that she will captain the Origin Australian Diamonds,” Marinkovich said.
“Liz’s passion and drive for success is evident and she has a fantastic ability to stay calm whilst continuing to empower players around her.
“Steph is an ultimate team player and her leadership reflects they type of person she is - she is highly respected and leads by example on the court.”
Diamonds reunite after split over Covid fears
The Diamonds remain hopeful their series against England can go ahead after assembling on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast for a training camp.
Players announced in the squad had been split between Queensland and Western Australia to keep out of Covid-affected zones but came together on Tuesday to train.
Twenty players – including camp invitee, Giants young gun Sophie Dwyer – are in camp, with Kiera Austin and Caitlin Bassett deciding not to travel to continue rehabilitation on knee injuries.
The pair do so with the full support of Netball Australia and it’s understood they will be included in meetings and other off-court planning sessions as the squad looks ahead to a busy next two years including the Commonwealth Games and world championships.
The Diamonds are scheduled to host the England Roses next month, with dates and locations being worked through.
Netball Australia is working with federal and state governments on the Roses’ entry into Australia following their current series against the Silver Ferns in New Zealand.
The camp will continue regardless of the status of the Australia-England series.
Diamonds head coach Stacey Marinkovich said the training camp would focus on on-court performance and building connection.
“We are eager to drive the standard of play to achieve consistency in performance and in turn success,” Marinkovich said.
“Throughout the camp we will focus on defining roles, driving our culture and building our brand of play.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Netball: Australia v England series cancelled, Geva Mentor’s charter home
Mavs make Uneeq signing as part of stacked training roster
A roster that underlines the depth of Super Netball and the difficulty of snaring a full-time contract, or a nervy move by a club unprepared to back new talent? The verdict on the Mavericks’ stacked training roster.
NRL and AFL stars’ secret code switch pleas for LA Olympics
With eyes set on a rare chance at Olympic gold, stars from AFL, NRL, Super Rugby and Super Netball have been making secret queries over the prospect of surprise code switches.