Super Netball: Collingwood lifts bar and tipped to dominate competition
Updated
Australia's new Super Netball competition has not even started and already there are concerns it will be dominated by three new franchises backed by football clubs.
AFL sides Collingwood and Greater Western Sydney formed teams under their names while the NRL's Melbourne Storm is backing the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Already, the Magpies are the outright favourites to win the inaugural title.
"I guess there is a certain trepidation about what the Collingwood Football Club coming into the league is going to bring," Magpies general manager of netball, Jen McIntyre, said.
"But I don't think jealousy is the right word.
"We're all about lifting the bar and wanting to raise it higher and getting the athletes professional."
The Magpies have certainly raised the bar in recruiting. Their 10-player squad includes a host of current or former Australian players like Sharni Layton, Madi Robinson, Kym Ravaillion, Ashleigh Brazill and Caitlin Thwaites.
McIntyre admitted the lure of the facilities available at Collingwood was pretty strong as the club set about signing players.
"The players at the time would be very coy in what they were letting me know," she said.
"Speaking with their managers now they're here, they would be behind my back going 'Oh my God I'm so coming here, I can't believe the facilities' but to my face they were very low key and trying to keep a lid on it."
Not surprisingly there was some envy around the league about the advantages the Magpies — and the other football clubs — were able to offer not just in their training set-up but in other areas as well.
"They have opportunities for commercial partnerships, for corporate opportunities, for employment opportunities and so these are the things that will unbalance the league if we don't get it right," Netball Victoria chief executive Rosie King said.
"They are the biggest and richest club, sporting club in Australia so there's a lot of perceived benefit of actually aligning to the brand."
King has noted her organisation is tasked with not only supporting the Melbourne Vixens at the elite level but the entire grassroots of the game in Victoria.
She noted with pride that all of Collingwood's players and coaches started their sporting journey within Netball Victoria programs.
"It is very important that we have an upgraded home of netball here in Victoria and ensure that we are the state people come to in terms of watching and playing netball," King said.
Hopes league will boost player development
She would also like the new Super Netball clubs to help the game beyond the elite level.
"I believe it should be a requirement that the entry teams contribute in some way to the development of their future players or coaches," King declared.
The concept has not been dismissed by Collingwood.
"We love the game and we don't want to sit at the top and cannibalise the market and pick off all the best players so we're very keen to get involved in grassroots development," McIntyre said of the Magpies long-term view of their involvement.
It is a concept backed also by Collingwood coach Kirsty Keppich-Birrell.
"We want the league to get big, we want the league to be successful and it's important that we keep striving for best practice no matter what club, no matter what state we come from," Keppich-Birrell said.
Topics: netball, sport, collingwood-3066, vic, adelaide-5000, sa, sydney-2000, nsw, perth-6000, wa
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