The result of Netball New Zealand's review has thrown fuel on the ANZ Premiership competition with all players on a clean slate for Silver Ferns consideration.
Northern Stars shooter Maia Wilson Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2018 www.photosport.nz
While the netball community continues to react and express it's opinion over former Silver Ferns head coach Janine Southby and the decline of the Silver Ferns brand, its only increased the intensity in the ANZ Premiership.
The inevitable resignation of Southby last Friday, two nights before the competition's final Super Sunday round, set the netball world a light and not in a good way leaving the players with nothing else to do but carry on.
But as the international clock keeps ticking ahead of the Netball Quad Series in September it was a Super Sunday round with a twist.
Not only were teams fighting under one roof to stay alive in the competition, Silver Ferns selectors with their clipboards in hand sat silently observing players from the bleachers thus creating a domestic netball crusade.
The competition's leading goal shooter Maia Wilson, who has played in the Silver Ferns but missed 2018 Commonwealth Games selection, thinks change puts players like herself in a good position.
"I'm of course looking ahead to those selections again after being lucky enough to be selected in my first year playing in the ANZ." says Wilson
"I haven't had the opportunities that I would've liked throughout the last 18 months and didn't make Commonwealth Games but it is what it is."
"It's up to me to focus on my future."
One of the key findings of the review was the lack of experience in the Silver Ferns resulting in a collapse at the Commonwealth Games but it doesn't explain the experience that was on hand.
Granted the retirements of Anna Harrison and Leana de Bruin played a part, Kayla Cullen was ruled out with injury, and then there's the Laura Langman mystery that continues to plague the sport.
The 2018 selections saw the omission of a number of players namely Catherine Tuivaiti (who wasn't granted a trial), Jane Watson, Maia Wilson and Gina Crampton all of whom had previous international experience and common combinations with selected players.
In context, both Watson and Crampton were part of an undefeated Southern Steel side, Tuivaiti was at the time the highest ranked New Zealand shooter and Wilson was goal shoot for the New Zealand Under 21's who won the 2017 Netball Youth World Cup - but who was counting the stats.
Unfortunately not even the giant red flag waving in the wind after historical losses to Jamaica in the Taini Jamison series the month before could warrant a change in team or leadership for the Games, leaving the experiment in the history books and in hindsight a blessing in disguise for players like Wilson.
"It's my third rodeo now, I know what's going on and I'm trying to embrace what I am good at." says Wilson
"I need to make sure I'm ticking all the boxes in this arena and hopefully my performance will speak enough for my selection."
"The result of the Silver Ferns and their performance at the Commonwealth Games means there could be changes coming and I could be one of those changes."
- RNZ