Super Netball is ripe for scrutiny after sending off debacle raises questions

Elite netball in Australia likes to think it has had many “coming of age” moments: a semi-professional trans-Tasman competition; the establishment of Premier League-esque Super Netball; unlimited imports; big-dollar corporate sponsors; a minimum wage for players; a ground-breaking pregnancy policy; and a multi-platform broadcast deal.

But in the aftermath of arguably the most controversial game in the competition’s history on Wednesday night – when Giants defender Kristiana Manu’a was sent off not once, but twice, leaving her side a player down for most of the last quarter and handing an unlikely 58-57 victory to the Sunshine Coast Lightning – the moment has arrived for real this time.

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How all parties involved – the Super Netball commission, which runs the league for Netball Australia, the clubs, players through their association, coaches and officials – respond will speak to the maturity of what is meant to be the best netball league in the world.

In 2020, a year unlike any other, when stakeholders have broken new ground to get the league off the ground, all those invested deserve and should be demanding a careful examination of what happened in the 200th game of Super Netball. And how what should have been a celebration turned into a bit of a debacle.

A full and frank public conversation, not obfuscation and silence as is too-often the public response from those at the top of the traditionally conservative sport, is crucial. This is not a moment to be swept under the rug, even if the next round of the condensed season begins on Saturday.

The questions for league bosses and umpires are plentiful. Were the adjudications, which deemed Manu’a’s play rough but were described by commentator Sue Gaudion as “disgraceful”, correct? Were the calls and warnings articulated appropriately by umpires Nathan Begley – who was officiating Super Netball for the first time – and Andrea Booth during the match?

Do the rulings set a precedent for the rest of the season? Irrespective of whether they should have already been aware, were Giants officials informed Manu’a could be expelled for the rest of the game in the last quarter, after returning from her initial two-minute send-off in the third? Should they have been?

And then there is the big one. Should there be some form of in-game or post-game appeal process?

Given a number of timing anomalies in past seasons and a hastily assembled response after complaints about several super shot signalling errors so far this season, it is surprising Super Netball, in its fourth year, does not have a formal dispute resolution process or tribunal.

Can the Giants complain, in the same way West Coast Fever brought several scoring mistakes during their match with Collingwood to the league’s attention recently?

Speaking during a special post-game segment aired by the broadcaster, commentator and former Diamond captain Liz Ellis was not sure. “I don’t know if they can take it any further, simply because there’s nowhere to go. The umpire’s decision was final,” Ellis said. Is that right and proper?

For those in clubland, the questions will undoubtedly be about what constitutes rough play in season 2020.

While Manu’a is known as a rugged competitor, the three challenges that led to her ejection from the game were not any more serious than those seen in other matches last round, that resulted in simple on-court penalties. Did her reputation unfairly precede her? Should all other defenders look to modify their games? Should the players’ association be seeking clarification direct from the league?

Ellis again. “Really, the question mark is around the interpretation of that, what constitutes rough play? We [the commentary team] have got a different interpretation to that than perhaps the umpires do, but they’re the ones in charge. Perhaps the process is for them [the Giants] to sit down with the umpires and have a look at what happened and get them to describe.”

Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald, who clearly shouted courtside that Manu’a was not at fault when Lightning midcourter Laura Scherian hit the deck at the start of the last quarter, sparking the defender’s game-ending send-off, might need a few days to cool off before that.

So too, might Jo Harten. While the Giants captain was diplomatic in her post-game interview, saying it was “quite a tricky game to play in, I don’t think I’ve been in anything quite like it”, she was clearly riled by the calls. Maybe even enough to make her miss two potentially match-winning super shots.

Passion is understandable and very much part of what people love about the game. Super Netball is billed as one of the leading female leagues in the country, as well as a world leader. It is time actions starting matching the words.