Netball dance sparks worst kind of reaction as clip goes viral

The netball players at the centre of Australia’s latest viral video storm have spoken out as ugly details emerged.

The Australian netball team’s viral video drama has taken an ugly turn with a brutal backlash to the so called pre-game “Aussie haka”.

The Aussie squad’s choreographed moves to NSYNC’s hit Bye Bye Bye, have got fans talking around the globe, but the players involved have also come in for harsh criticism — despite going on to win the Fast5 netball series in New Zealand.

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The truth behind how the dance came about emerged on Monday with player Liam Forcadilla speaking publicly to reveal a Hollywood film inspired the snappy routine.

His comments came as the brutal social media backlash to the footage continued to rage.

Forcadilla’s explanations about the origin of the jig when interviewed on Network 10’s The Project was met with scorn by fans on social media.

One Twitter user posted: “Congratulations, literally no man will ever watch the team play a single game”.

Another wrote: “No boy will ever want to be associated with men’s netball after this, how embarrassing”.

Another candidly commented: “Put men’s netball back 100 years”.

You can watch the pre-game dance routine in the video above

After asking the crowd to get involved. Photo: Channel 7

Forcadilla explained it is standard operating prcedure in men’s Fast5 tournaments for all team’s to perform a dance at the start of the competition, which was held at Wolfbrook Arena over the weekend in Christchurch.

It’s another reason why there has been a groundswell of support for the team — and it’s pre-game ditty.

Code Sports reporter Lachlan McKirdy called out the earlier toxic, homophobic comments with some Twitter accounts using derogatory language to suggest men’s netball is a an embarrassment.

The team gets into position. Photo: Channel 7

“I think my favourite thing of the weekend is that all the fragile men triggered by this have to put up with the fact the Aussies actually went on to WIN the tournament,” McKirdy wrote on Twitter.

He also posted: “I’m directly calling out the disgusting homophobia that has forced comments to be disabled and abuse directed at players across social media.”

Former Hockeyroos goalkeeper Georgie Parker also said “men’s sporting teams should be doing more boy band routines”.

Sadly for McKirdy and sports fans, he soon had to turn comments off his original post.

“The video found the wrong side of Twitter,” he wrote. “Apparently people can’t have fun anymore.”

The big finale. Photo: Channel 7

His post already generated a number of reactions.

Forcadilla on Monday night thanked the fans that have contacted the team to show their support.

The Kelpies centre explained Fast5 is a colourful form of the sport — netball’s equivalent of cricket’s T20 format — joking members of the crowd are often “quite drunk”.

“It’s just a bit of fun that the organisers like us to do pre-match,” he said.

“All the other teams got a dance out there. It’s pretty fun. It’s not something all of us are comfortable doing, but there’s also a solid half of us that love it.”

The Kelpies in action against New Zealand last month. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

He said some of the players in the Aussie team had been “forced into it”.

Earlier on Channel 7’s Sunrise, the brains behind the dance, goalshooter Dravyn Lee-Tauroa said the choreography was inspired by Hollywood action classic Deadpool, which stars Ryan Reynolds as a crass anti-hero.

“That was on me. So, we started with the cha-cha slide and I didn’t want any part of that,” Lee-Tauroa said.

“I saw this dance come up on TikTok from the new ‘Deadpool’ movie.

“I was inspired by that and the boys got around it.

“We always wanted to be in a boy band. Who hasn’t? And we got to perform.”

Lee-Tauroa added he would love to see pre-match dance routines in other sports too.

While every team was instructed to perform a dance, it was the Aussies who stole the show as the competition got underway.

Before the first whistle blew to get the game underway, the Aussie players got in a huddle and then broke up and started waving their hands in the air to inspire the crowd as the famous boy band hit began.

With the South African side lined up on the halfway line ready for battle, the Kelpies moved into formation and began busting out the choreographed routine.

The crowd in attendance went ballistic, screaming and cheering as the dance unfolded.

The commentators were in agreement, declaring: “Amazing! If you ever wanted to be part of a boy band and do the choreographed dance, that was the chance and they absolutely nailed it Australia.”