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Silver Ferns gold heaps pressure on Netball NZ to sort domestic future
Sport Nation • August 3rd, 2026 10:30 am
Wendy Frew hopes Silver Ferns stars like Kate Heffernan still have a domestic competition to come home to | Photo: Photosport
The Silver Ferns have done their bit. Now the heat is on Netball New Zealand.
New Zealand’s first Commonwealth Games gold since Delhi 2010 was a huge moment for the sport, but former Ferns midcourter and current Southern Steel coach Wendy Frew says it has also sharpened the focus on what comes next.
The timing matters. There is still uncertainty around a national league next year, leaving coaches, players and staff waiting for clarity.
“As coaches, we’re really in the dark at the moment,” Frew told Sport Nation's Scotty & Izzy.
“There’s no coaches association for us and no one from Netball NZ updates us on what’s happening next year. We’re just relying on the franchises to do that.”
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The gold medal win over Jamaica came after Australia missed the final for the first time in Commonwealth Games history, a result Frew believes will spark serious questions around Super Netball and its reliance on imports.
Five Silver Ferns who took the court in the final play in Australia’s Super Netball competition, while Jamaica also featured SSN stars including Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Latanya Wilson, Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Jodi-Ann Ward.
“I do think a talking point is going to be the Australians having so many imports in their league and how much that’s now affected their international team,” Frew said.
“That makes it even more crucial in the future that we get our national competition up and running.”
Frew knows the value of the Australian competition, saying its high standards have clearly helped some of New Zealand’s top players.
But if Australia moves to protect its own depth by limiting overseas spots, the need for a strong Kiwi pathway becomes even more urgent, she adds.
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“I want the likes of Kate Heffernan and all those girls in that New Zealand competition,” she said.
“But I do think going over there and playing, their standard is high and I do think that has improved them.”
For Netball NZ, the Ferns’ gold has landed at exactly the right time. Frew said the sport must use the renewed attention to chase investment and support both the elite and grassroots game.
“There’s going to be people that want to put money into Netball New Zealand,” she said.
“So we really need to be smart with chasing businesses and making sure that we’re getting the money we need to run this competition and the grassroots.”
“We really need to make the most of what’s happened in the last couple of weeks and really get this game back on track.”
Listen to the full interview below:
