KEY POINTS:
Netball's new Tasman Trophy - already bringing about the final year of the National Bank Cup - is now sparking a look at the national provincial championships to ensure New Zealand's supply line of quality players is not blocked.
Last month, Netball New Zealand (NNZ) scored a financial coup, signing with Sky Television, Fox Sports and Netball Australia to secure the Tasman Trophy for three years from 2008.
Although most agree the new competition will benefit players vying for Silver Ferns spots, the focus has now shifted to lower-level players - as many feel the current format of the Scottwood Trust Championships (as the national tournament is known) will not produce enough netballers capable of stepping up to Tasman Trophy and international level.
The Scottwood is played over a week, while the National Bank Cup is months long and offers players quality matches every week.
Some, like former Silver Fern Anna Stanley (formerly Rowberry), question the ability of the Scottwood to produce quality netballers.
Stanley says a serious rethink is needed to enhance performance levels so that New Zealand's supply of quality netballers will keep flowing freely.
The danger was that the Tasman Trophy would widen the gap between elite and second-tier netballers, once the National Bank Cup, a valuable development ground, vanishes.
The Tasman Trophy will have 10 franchises - five each from New Zealand and Australia. The incumbent national competition in Australia - the Commonwealth Bank Trophy - has eight teams, as does the National Bank Cup.
Fewer franchises mean fewer spots, leading to a decline in the numbers of players with access to elite netball experience.
Stanley says another problem was that the National Bank Cup already has a gap between elite and second-tier players - with some of latter on the bench "often for seven straight games".
Her point is that second-tier players are in danger of sliding into an even bigger gap between the Tasman Trophy and the Scottwood - and that the national provincial championship needs to be beefed up to provide a good platform to reach the next level.
New Zealand's ability to identify, nurture and develop young players into elite players could be at risk if there was too big a gap between the two.
"It [the Scottwood] is not quality netball and it needs to be restructured," she says. "It needs to be revamped as it is a bit outdated now."
Stanley - the 86-cap veteran and former captain of the Silver Ferns - says the Tasman Trophy will be great for the Ferns but it was the next tier down on which NNZ needed to focus.
"[They] have to really improve what they are doing," she says. Turning the Scottwood from a week-long tournament into something close to the almost-three months of the National Bank Cup would be a good start.
NNZ chairman Don Mackinnon says the organisation has already identified the need for structural changes to the national championship and is setting up a working party consisting of NNZ and regional representatives.
"It is inevitable the Tasman Trophy will slightly reduce the number of elite players exposed to the highest level, so it's logical that we address that."
Mackinnon was unsure about what the exact nature of future changes would be but confirmed a move from the current week-long tournament format would be part of any future discussions. He also says the working party - expected to be established within the next couple of months - will have a wide brief, looking at netball at all levels.
President of Netball New Zealand and former Silver Ferns coach Lois Muir believes many players who have hung around as benchwarmers in the National Bank Cup will be exposed when the new Tasman Trophy competition is set in motion next year.
Muir says: "I think there are a lot of pretenders on the franchise benches in the National Bank Cup."
She believes many will struggle to find teams, leading to increased reliance on the Scottwood. Muir says the Tasman Trophy will also force coaches at under-19 and under-21 level to lift their games, along with those in the provincial championship.
Feeder systems like the age-group teams and the NPC would need to work harder to stop players falling through the competitive cracks.
However, the problems with depth and bridging the quality gap may not just be confined to New Zealand.
Northern Force coach Yvonne Willering believes the Australians could well feel aggrieved that they have been given only five franchise berths given their higher player numbers.
NNZ has invited those franchises interested in participating in the Tasman Trophy to complete an expression of interest by Tuesday. Successful franchises from both sides of the Tasman are set to be named on April 23.
