Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio says she would like to play in Australia's netball league if it didn't affect her eligibility to play for New Zealand.
In 2016 the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship was scrapped when Australia and New Zealand decided to go their own way.
Netball New Zealand has been involved in discussions with Netball Australia about introducing cross-over games at the end of the respective domestic competitions from 2025.
Off the back of their fourth placed finish at last month's Netball World Cup, coach Dame Noeline Taurua said there was a gap between New Zealand and Australia, which needed addressing and more trans-Tasman exposure would be ideal.
If a New Zealand player wanted to actually play in Australia's Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) competition, they would have to be granted an exemption.
Under Netball New Zealand policy, to be eligible for selection in the Silver Ferns, players must be signed with an ANZ Premiership team.
Ekenasio, who is returning to the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic next year, said she would like the challenge of playing in the SSN if an opportunity arose.
"I definitely would, I'm always a player who's been really open to growth and learning and I think I have probably missed the boat at this stage of my career but yeah definitely, you grow and learn and then I'd bring those learnings home as well," Ekenasio said.
Netball New Zealand last granted exemptions to former Silver Ferns legends Laura Langman and Maria Folau to compete in the 2019 Super Netball competition.
Laura Langman (left) and Silver Fern teammate Katrina Rore in the Australian domestic competition in 2019. Rore was able to play for the Swifts in the second half of the Australian competition because it didn't clash with the ANZ Premiership that year. Photo: NSW Swifts
How does she feel about cross over games between the New Zealand and Australian sides at the end of the domestic seasons?
"The competition for us over here has been the same at an ANZ Premiership level for seven years now ...
"I think there's pros and cons. For us it would give us that little bit more exposure but also it would give them more exposure to us and how we play so you've got to weigh it up but I think any way that we can get more match play with really high quality teams is only going to be a bonus to growing individual people's games."
Ekenasio, who grew up in Australia, moved to New Zealand to play for the Pulse in 2015 after struggling for court time across the Tasman.
The 32-year-old took her game to another level in New Zealand and the respected captain said she wasn't sure how many years left she had in the game.
"I'm definitely at the stage at the moment where four year's seems like quite a long time so I'll just take it as it comes, and I'll just listen, if it's my heart that goes first or if it's my body that goes first but I'll know when I know."
The Silver Ferns are back in camp to get ready to face England in the Taini Jamison series starting on the 24th of September in Christchurch.
Ekenasio said it was good to be back with her team-mates.
"Lots of us came home completely devastated so definitely the hunger is there. The hunger was there beforehand but I think when you end up in a place that you obviously weren't aiming for it hurts so much so the motivation is high, not just to win but to how we operate, we've just got to grow in so many different ways."
Ekenasio said it was difficult to sum up their tough World Cup campaign.
"It's frustrating when we knew that we could be better, that was the feeling in the group as well, we knew that we could be so much better than that. It's also frustrating that we tried so hard you know one of those things sometimes where it feels the harder you try, the worse it gets, it felt a bit like that."
Amelia Walmsley is one of the new faces in the Silver Ferns. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
She said they were excited about getting out on court again.
"Which is a good place to feel, we don't want to feel like weighed down by it. We also want to be able to move forward without having to continuously look back."
The Silver Ferns will be meeting an England side which doesn't resemble the one that they lost to in the Netball World Cup semi final.
"We always want to play the best of the best so we were really looking forward to a rematch from the World Cup and we're not going to get that. It doesn't mean we are going to prepare any differently because this is more about us and how we put ourselves out on court."
Dame Noeline said shooter Grace Nweke was progressing well in her recovery from a knee injury that ruled her out of the World Cup after just three games and they've got the Constellation Cup against Australia in sight.
"Whether we can get her ready for the first test over in Australia (12th October), that's still doubtful but at the moment we're definitely heading towards the last two tests on New Zealand soil ...if we can get her out faster, we'd definitely like to do that," Dame Noeline said.
Shooter Amelia Walmsley is in line to make her debut during the series against England with the Silver Ferns coach keen to get the 19-year-old on court.
"But I'm also weary about where she is as well. I don't want to scare her off too fast too soon but sort of slowly stage her in to training and also on court so I'd love to get her out there definite.
"She's got the height, she's got to be able to take the ball a wee bit stronger knowing that she's going to be under a barrage of physicality in that circle. These are the little steps that we want to make sure she's ready for before she takes the big time but she's got a good base, she's very positive."
