Players will always push boundaries

Irene van Dyk has got it right. Netball has become a contact sport. And the netball superstar's outburst over acceptable tactics in the game might mean the dramatic change in how netball is played might get some discussion at official level - and in public - at last.

Van Dyk went public after her team the Magic's 57-51 loss to the Perth team West Coast Fever at the weekend. She suggested the Fever defence were ``dirty'' and ``got away with murder''.

Now no one could describe van Dyk as a softie. This is the netballer who played her heart out in the ANZ Netball Championship match last year, just hours after learning that her mum had died. She is a player who commands respect because she's earned it.

So when she finally had enough and said so, we should be listening.

Until now, New Zealand netball has been happy to see the sport include a bit more biffo to make it more entertaining. The escalation in physicality, aggression and contact has been acceptable, as it makes netball more palatable for a wider TV audience.

Netball originally came from basketball but evolved as a non-contact sport in the early years of the 20th century. It was deemed suitable for women to participate in, being a game of adroitness and expertise, not rough-house play.

In the past 10 years, as sports have competed for broadcast space and more explosive action is called for, the shoving and attitude in netball has been amped up.

The rules of netball say contact is only permitted provided it does not impede an opponent or the general play, and players must be at least 90cm away from a player with the ball while attempting to defend. There is room for interpretation there, of course, and that's when the officials come in. But players will push rules to the limit and in some cases it's in for a penny in for a pound - if you transgress, do it full-on.

It may well be that the kind of netball being played by some teams is acceptable to those who run the game. But let's at least acknowledge that.