Silver Ferns pull Aussie games in 'video row'

The Silver Ferns have pulled the plug on pre-Commonwealth Games matches against two Australian club sides because their transtasman rivals wanted to videotape the games, Australian media reported today.

The Silver Ferns were to play the Sydney Swifts and Hunter Jaegers over five days next week in Sydney, the Melbourne Herald Sun newspaper reported.

However, New Zealand would only give the video footage to the opposition six weeks after the Commonwealth Games.

"It was a demand we were not prepared to entertain," Netball Australia chief executive Lindsay Cane was reported as saying.

"This is not the two teams preparing for an international test -- it's New Zealand asking for our players to make themselves available to play them -- it's an informal arrangement. It will be under our conditions."

Cane said it was normal practice for coaches to videotape their teams.

"I could not support not having it videotaped, if that's what the coaches want to do. It's not our job to help New Zealand win a gold medal."

- NZPA