Where will the Silver Ferns find their next Irene van Dyk if three of our five ANZ Championship franchises have an import at goal shoot? Netball writer Adrian Seconi asks former Silver Ferns captain and shooter Belinda Colling for her thoughts on the matter.
The situation
With Irene van Dyk having a cast-iron grip on the goal shoot bib for more than a decade, the Silver Ferns have not had to fret too much about where the goals will come from.
Her combination with goal attack Maria Tutaia has been productive. Cathrine Latu can match van Dyk's accuracy and Jodi Brown offers excellent cover from the bench, so there is depth.
But the 40-year-old van Dyk cannot go on forever. Brown is 32 and better suited to a playmaker role. And Latu, while deadly under the hoop, lacks van Dyk's mobility.
Tutaia will come into her own if netball ever introduces a two-point shot. But she is not as accurate as the other three. Who else is there?
And that is the problem. They are sitting on the bench of their ANZ Championship teams, waiting for an opportunity. What is good for the franchise is not always what is good for New Zealand netball.
The line-ups
Goal shoot is a key position, and teams will look to fill the role with the best available player. The Magic has opted for English international Jo Harten.
The Tactix have Malawi shooter Mwai Kumwenda, and the Steel has Jamaican juggernaut Jhaniele Fowler-Reid. Their inclusion in the league adds a lot of value to the tournament, but it is also a problem if you are a developing shooter looking for an opportunity at the next level. The pathway is blocked.
Steel back-up and Otago shooter Te Paea Selby-Rickit started in the first game but has made only token appearances since. Talented New Zealand under-21 shooter Malia Paseka can barely get a look in at the Magic, although Ellen Halpenny is getting regular game time.
And players such as Julianna Naoupu and Sophia Fenwick are battling for the Tactix goal attack bib.
The Pulse has van Dyk and former international Donna Wilkins, while the Mystics also have an international-strength line-up in Latu and Tutaia.
Colling's conundrums
''It is a really tricky one. Yes, imports add so much. And it is the best competition in the world, so you want the best players in it,'' former Silver Ferns captain Belinda Colling says.
''And they are contributing to the development of the young players just by being in the franchise and in that high performance environment. So it is not like the younger players are just out sitting in the cold.
"They are still being developed. But time will tell, I guess, just what the gap is between sitting around in the environment and practising all the time and then all of a sudden being put out there.''
Emerging talent
Colling: ''I think there is some good talent coming through. But it is about them getting that exposure in the ANZ, which is such an important part of their development.
''There is not a lot left in the legs of van Dyk and Brown, and perhaps Donna too, so I think very soon you will start to see some more of those players like Te Paea Selby-Rickit and Malia Paseka starting to get more regular court time because they have to.
''I think it is also up to the players. They have to be clever about where they are going.''
Player draft
Asked if Netball New Zealand should intervene and play a key role in the development of players by placing them with teams which have need of their particular skills, Colling was uncertain.
''They work hard to ensure players have good guidance. But there are so many other factors involved as well. It is just a really difficult scenario.
''Every team wants to be winning, so it is a fine line between giving players that development that they need and having the best players that will win for you. Regular court time is a crucial part of their development but they are not getting anything at the moment.''
