Super Netball stars cleared to return from overseas

Five international Super Netball stars have been granted permission to return to Australia as the competition finalises plans for its new season.

Natalie Haythornthwaite of NSW Swifts is one of five international players who will return to Australia and spend two weeks in quarantine as Super Netball gets ready to announce its plans for 2020. Picture: AAP

Five international Super Netball stars have been granted permission by the government to return to Australia as league officials prepare to announce details for the postponed season later this week.

Phumza Maweni (Sunshine Coast Lightning), Lenize Potgieter and Shadine Van der Merwe (Adelaide Thunderbirds) will make the journey back from South Africa, while Natalie Haythornthwaite (NSW Swifts) and Layla Guscoth (Adelaide Thunderbirds) will travel from England.

The league successfully sought exemptions from the Australian Border Force Commissioner for the five players who returned to their home countries during the COVID-19 shutdown.

They will all have to send 14 days in quarantine in accommodation nominated by the respective state governments.

Sixteen other international players opted to remain in Australia.

Super Netball chief executive Chris Symington said plans for the season were nearly complete.

“There are still several moving parts we’re working through … we have many people working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure this is locked away as soon as possible,” Symington said.

“We appreciate our fans are patiently waiting for news on when and how the 2020 season will happen and we hope to be announcing further information around this by the end of the week.

“The league is excited that our international athletes who returned home will be back on Australian soil soon and we’re confident we’ll see our teams back to some type of group training in the near future.”

The competition was originally due to start on May 2 before it was decided in March to postpone the season, another victim of the pandemic that halted sport worldwide.

AAP