Netball: Pacific teams sinking fast

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Among the scenes of jubilation as Northern Ireland yesterday celebrated making the quarter-finals of the world netball championships for the first time, we also witnessed the quiet demise of Pacific Island netball.

Northern Ireland secured a quarter-final against England tomorrow with an impressive 29-goal win over Samoa in their final pool-play match, breathing life into what has been an otherwise stale and predictable round-robin series.

Four years is a long time, and in every world championship cycle some teams rise, others wane. But what we are witnessing in Singapore could well be the long-term demise of Pacific Island netball if the international body does not address the situation.

This year's tournament will be the first time a Pacific Island team have not featured in the top eight since quarter-finals were introduced to the world championship format in 1999. Both Samoa and Fiji failed to finish in the top two in their pools. They now face an uphill battle to make the top 10.

In the wake of such a disappointing showing, Netball Samoa may want to reconsider their selection policy. They rightly focus on developing their own talent, rather than continuing to rely on New Zealand and Australian-based players to prop up their teams.

But to make that decision in a world championship year left coach Linda Vagana developing her young side in just six months without stalwarts such as Magic midcourter Frances Solia and Auckland-Waitakere's Brooke Williams.

In all, just five players who went to last year's Commonwealth Games are playing for Samoa in Singapore.

A more realistic approach would have been to limit the number of off-shore based players to four, to ensure a core of experience can share their skills and knowledge with younger players.

To be spanked 66-37 by Northern Ireland shows just how far off the pace Samoa are.

Stricter international eligibility rules and the advent of the transtasman league mean young New Zealand-born players are now turning down opportunities to play for Samoa.

Several high-profile netball officials - including Netball New Zealand's Raelene Castle - have called on IFNA to relax the rules to allow New Zealand-based players to help out Samoa, so long as this is not to the detriment of their own national programme.

Having seen Samoa's struggles it is clear some flexibility is needed.