NZ Men's Junior Levi on defence against Silver Fern Jane Watson. Photo / Photosport
NZ Men's Junior Levi on defence against Silver Fern Jane Watson. Photo / Photosport
A number of New Zealand's Men's Netball players will have to front up thousands of dollars in quarantine costs to play in the Cadbury Netball Series.
The series, set to be confirmed later this week, is understood to be going ahead in late October and will feature the Silver Ferns, New Zealand Men, New Zealand under-21 side, and an 'All Stars' New Zealand A team.
At least five players preparing to play in the men's side are currently based in Australia and will have to pay for mandatory quarantine in New Zealand due to not meeting the law's requirement of staying in the country for 90 days or more.
The quarantine costs for an individual is currently $3,100.
Some players may also have to pay an additional cost of more than $3000 when returning to Australia - dependant on their home State's laws.
Melbourne based New Zealand Men's shooter Junior Levi told the Herald it's a difficult situation.
"It's been really tumultuous because for all of us, we have to weigh up the time away and the financial costs of quarantining in New Zealand and then participating and then coming back home to quarantine here," Levi said, "...It's a lot to think about, a lot to sacrifice and consider.
"At this point in time we have to front the costs as individuals and that's always been how men's netball has worked here in Australia and across the Tasman, it's self-funded for the most part ... we've made the personal decision to front up and face those costs but it's been really testing."
Levi said for him, the prospect of being back on court has outweighed its cost.
"When you think about the costs financially it's crazy, but for us, any opportunity to represent your country and to play the sport that you love at the highest level is always quite rewarding so that's where we're able to put aside the financial strain for the excitement of the opportunity," he said.
"For us, it's like a little beacon of hope. If it cost a little bit of money, it's something that we've at least been able to look forward to and work towards especially during such a rough time.
"It just makes us more grateful to be able to play, I was part of Cadbury last year and just the opportunity was super humbling and I was super grateful to be able to play the sport that I love and as corny as it sounds, those moments are priceless."
With the Cadbury Series at the latest five weeks away, the men's team could be left with as little as two weeks to prepare.
Levi anticipates it'll be a challenging series for the side.
"It's been a massive struggle for us just being able to check-in as a team once a month over Zoom and not having the time to look at court structures and just having the whole team in one place physically," he said.
"We did have a massive session where we looked at who we are as a team and what we want to represent because this is such a big opportunity to push our sport internationally and represent our nation ... We've got amazing talent and so it's about how we best show that not only in Cadbury but in upcoming internationals next year."
The Men's Association have been approached for comment.
