Diamonds mentor calls for Super Netball pathway protection to ensure room for young stars

An influx of new imports to Super Netball next season has national coach Stacey Marinkovich warning a pathway still needs to exist for Australia’s next generation.

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich says Super Netball mentors need to be “brave” and look at the youth in their own pathways to ensure there is no bottleneck for Australian talent.

Several imports have entered the competition for 2025, with New Zealand shooter Grace Nweke, former Silver Ferns captain Gina Crampton, England Roses midcourter Imogen Allison and Ugandan shooter Mary Cholhok all signing to play next season, with just one import leaving the competition.

Marinkovich, a former Super Netball coach herself who had arguably the greatest import in the competition’s history, in Jamaican goaler Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, at her disposal, acknowledges as the best competition in the world, Super Netball needs the best players.

Donnell Wallam has had to make the move to New Zealand. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

But she wants a conversation on both the pathway for young players and the competition itself - including the number of teams and listed players - to ensure Australian talent is not turned away.

As a national coach, Marinkovich said it was tough having to see players look elsewhere for opportunities.

She has vowed to continue to support Diamonds shooter Donnell Wallam, who will play in New Zealand next season after being cut by the Queensland Firebirds and not offered a contract by any other Super Netball team.

But she certainly doesn’t want to see other promising players locked out of their local league.

“There’s players - not only someone like Donnell - but players within our pathway that performed at the reserves competition that I think are demonstrating skills, that with a little bit of development, they’re ready to be playing Super Netball,” Marinkovich said.

She said Thunderbirds shooter and premiership player Lauren Frew, who was elevated to the full-time contract list last season after the departure of England import Eleanor Cardwell, was an example.

“She’s 22 years of age, she hadn’t played on the big scene (regularly before last season) and she played in the grand final and held her own and thrived in the season,” Marinkovich said.

“Vixens have done a really good job with that, with (rookie midcourter) Zara Walters stepping out into that environment.

Thunderbirds player Lauren Frew ahead of her Super Netball Grand final at Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Picture: Brett Hartwig

“We’ve had (young shooter) Reilley Batcheldor step out there with Lightning and be able to hold her own as well.

“I think we do need to be brave as coaches and look at our youth. Just because there’s international athletes out there playing in other competitions doesn’t mean that that level necessarily supersedes what we’ve got in our pathway.”

Marinkovich certainly understands the other side of the argument as well though.

“We’ve got to look at the competition, and we want world’s best, so we do want the best players in it,” she said.

“We’ve just got to look at what do we also need to do so that our Australian players aren’t at a bottleneck and can’t get opportunity?”

Understanding that there was a need to protect the Diamonds’ performance standard also needs to be part of the wider Super Netball conversation.

Their exposure to international competition within the domestic league is a positive but it couldn’t come at the expense of blocking entry for the next generation of players, especially in the lead-up to a home World Cup in 2027.

Zara Walters of the Vixens is one of the young stars to have thrived at Super Netball level after being handed a chance. Photo: Getty Images

The role Super Netball has played in lifting the standard of nations like England and Jamaica since its inception in 2017, also had to be acknowledged.

“I think Netball Australia has done an incredible job of lifting world netball standard,” Marinkovich said.

“SSN (Super Netball) is the competition to be at if you want to prepare yourself for an international opportunity.

“We’ve put a lot of money and a lot of resources in to those international players to be able to evolve.

“All of them have improved because of Suncorp Super Netball, so whilst they contribute to the performance now, they also came in as young athletes and have evolved because of our high performance system.

“You’ve got incredibly talented athletes coming in but at the same time, we’re also supporting pretty much the development of international netball across the field - and that money isn’t necessarily in our junior pathway, so how do we just get that balance?”

Originally published as Diamonds mentor calls for Super Netball pathway protection to ensure room for young stars