Northern Stars Assistant Coach Leana de Bruin | The Privatization of Netball in NZ

0:00This message is brought to you by Apple Card. With Apple Card, you earn unlimited daily cashback on everyday purchases, like groceries, merch, or tickets to the game. Plus, it can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted. No matter your team, no matter where you shop, Apple Card is here to help you tackle Game Day. Apply in the wallet app on your iPhone today. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch, terms and more at AppleCard.com. Every Game Day you show up for your team. Now, it's your time. Ask your prescriber about Wigovie, some Maglatide Injection 2.4mg, a GLP1. Call 1-8334-Wigovie or visit Wigovie.com to view the Medication Guide and to learn more about Wigovie. Why wait?

1:01I know that I can't take no more, getting no life. I don't want to see you. Yes, this is Melzian Guy, Alex Chapman and Mitch James, in for the boys on Sport Nation. Thanks to KoganMobile, Kogan.com. Clicking awesome. Massive news yesterday with the privatisation of domestic netball for next year after the national body signed a non-binding term sheet with investors Ali Williams and Anna Mobre. It's a cure for sports here for 2027. Work now, though, begins on developing and signing a long form agreement in the near future. Chachat, all former Silver Fern current stars assistant coach Leonan Debrain. Thanks so much for joining us. How are you? No good. Thanks for having me. Good. Thank you. How are you guys? Yeah, we're great. Thank you. What was your reaction to yesterday's news? Yeah, obviously quite so. There was a fine line between us. It's actually going to happen next year or not. Obviously, when the news came true, I think every new people in this country had a bit of a sigh of relief.

2:03We're obviously quite excited about. You've seen it behind the scenes. How has the feeling of apprehension that uncertainty that you mentioned been over the last few months? Yeah, obviously, you know, this is people's living and they do that score a job. And if you have that much uncertainty, it's actually quite hard to know what to do. And it's sad to see for us that it's been so lucky to play in the era where it was a full-time job. And we had a league that was pretty high level. So it was really tough to see in, yeah, obviously felt for some of the girls, but also coaches. You know, this is, I'm in a good place of being a system coach, whereas some of them like to me, for a full-time out CEO's. There was a lot of uncertainty in that space. On that end, do you believe we would have kept more players, more coaches, more administrators in New Zealand had this been sorted out earlier? Yeah, I'd like to think so. You know, he won certainty. A lot of people who got a ball to pay and more could just pay.

3:07So, you know, at some point when you don't have that certainty, you've got to make a call whether it's a bit or a bad one, but you've got to go where you're going to get looked after. And that certainty, I guess. And yeah, I think if we had that earlier, I think Rob Wright said this morning that he would have stayed if this happened to two weeks earlier. I'm really sad to see because he's an amazing coach and so much knowledge that he brings to New Zealand. Yeah, and I think that's where the frustrating thing's been, right? Leana, is that this perhaps could have been sorted earlier? What have you made of the way it has all played out? Because I think we're still at a point of allowed to be frustrated as fans before we start celebrating walks to come. Yeah, I mean, there was frustration, but you know, that kind of, we all need to park that and look forward now. And I mean, there's a solution and we can get excited. What it looks like is probably a little bit unknown just yet, but at least something's happening, whereas a couple of weeks ago, we didn't have that.

4:10So, yeah, obviously sad to see that it took a little while, but it's not the easiest thing to sort out at the same time. I had an opportunity to talk to any of the players yet engage any of their reactions. I know that some of the stars players would have signed whether it be with the Australian or the UK League. And I was just interested to know what the feeling on ground with the players might have been about the news. Yeah, I actually haven't had the opportunities to chat to anyone. Obviously, the stars girls took the opportunity somewhere else because of the reason that they didn't know where to go. I mean, I think this morning that she really wants to stay in the young, which is awesome to see, but it's also said that she had to potentially give the game up that she loves or dropped to a lower level, which doesn't help the her development. But yeah, unfortunately, haven't really had time to speak to them, but I guess if it was me, you know, you've got to do what's good and best for yourself as an athlete and where you're going to grow. And they didn't really have a choice.

5:15Leonie, you mentioned the uncertainty of actually still what it's going to look like. You've been involved in not to age, you've been involved in a game a long time. If you were to ask for advice, what would you say? Well, where do you think the direction of this competition should go? Ideally, we wouldn't want to have it at the same time as the Australian League. You know, you see a lot of cricketers playing a season over in New Zealand, and then they go over to England or wherever, IPL, where they have opportunity to go to the next job, if I can put it that way. So ideally, we want to see that at a different time and give the opportunity to for some big names to actually come and play in our competition, too, whether it's a shorter competition, but a bit more action from international players that we normally don't get to see, but something similar to Aussie, maybe not as long, but definitely something that could draw be a big draw card for big name.

6:16So, exciting part, though, with what's going to be happening in 2027, we've had this exodus of players is now players who may not have been given an opportunity and now going to be given a crack on court. Next season, tell us about the depth that you have seen and the quality of the competition that we can still look forward to next year. Yeah, look, if I have to be honest, I have kind of mixed feelings around this, because as you guys know, I have to take the courts this year just because there wasn't actually a lot of people available, which is really sad to see, but that next level, you know, there's no doubt these people coming through. I was actually at Eunice down in Waikato yesterday at the Nepal court and there's there's lots of school teams still going, which means there's players coming through. I guess that next level is obviously a little bit different and we'd like to see some new fresh blood coming through absolutely, but what that would look like is, yeah, anybody's guess I guess, but hopefully we'll see some fresh talent coming through.

7:19And what about your future? Where is this now leave you? Yeah, it's a very good question. I'm not too sure. Obviously, I have a job done in Hamilton and it's getting me well and really busy, but yeah, if it plans out, you know, I would love to give back to the game that has given me a lot. And obviously share the knowledge that I got from Nepal. So hopefully there's an opportunity to still be able to do that. Finish the sentence for me, mate, before we let you go, success for this competition looks like what next year? That is a very hard question. Success would look like, yeah, we've got a competition that is exciting, probably have big names on our site and yeah, and can be seen on television every week. That will be amazing. It's positive. Let's look at all the positives about it. And Leon, the brain, thank you so much for your time. I really, really appreciate it. Thanks, mate.

8:21Awesome. Thanks, guys. See ya. Former Silver Fern and Stars assistant coach Leon and the brain, whether the stars now exist going forward though is very much. It looked like a bit of a tough operation as was. I mean, they had a really tough time on court this last year in the Mystics, obviously, without friend Maya Wilson as well, won the, won the championship. So yeah, I think given where it's at, it would be hard to see two Auckland teams in this new comp. I don't know any of the inside information in terms of how the, how the structure might look. I know that they did mention at least five teams. So I'm thinking that might not include the stars. It's minimum five teams. So if they can see opportunities elsewhere to have more than five, then they'll look at that. And it also depends on who these private investors end up being because it's not just going to be alien and a who finance everything. They're going to finance the competition. But in terms of paying for the teams for five teams. No, and, you know, as it often does as soon as announcements are made, you start to hear things and already names are being thrown out about who might be associated with these teams, nothing concrete.

9:30But having Ellie and Anna at the core and the heart of this, I mentioned it at the start of the show. It is so enticing for people because of the success that they had and what they've done for Auckland FC, well, they're done for football in New Zealand, all of a sudden, you talk about the black dress being that bit of hope that keeps people involved in that ball. Having Ellie and Anna involved is the hope that will now be provided to possible investors and those who want to be involved in this competition, both from a financial broad also playing perspective. It's in a way to comfort knowing that they're going to be involved. Yeah, and I think a detail worth mentioning as well, Leana just said that she hopes it's not played at the same time as the Australian competition. And the more that I think about it, Chappy, the more I think that that has to be a non-negotiable, especially if they're going to run these same players because you can have an opportunity to not only replace this league, but you can make it better.

10:31It's like bringing Chris Gale back into the Super Smash back in the day when you can bring in some elite players and actually adds way more spice. And I'm sure Williams and Melbrow have seen that as an opportunity, and I really hope it's something they execute. Yeah, and I always hesitate to use cricket as an example because it's my go-to, but cricket has shown with these different competitions around the world that if you give them their own windows, then they will be successful away from the IPL. Like, even you look at what's going on at the moment, with the European league, the quality of that competition. They're great cricketers. Mate, Steve Smith is playing in it. Yeah, he's playing in it. Like, there are a big names involved in it. Mitch Tener is our whiteboard captain and he's playing in it. So, if you give them their own windows, your own opportunities to prove what they can actually do, these competitions massively succeed. And having this away from their Aussie competition is the big step with us. Yes, it is. 12 minutes away from six here on Sport Nation, Alex Chapman and Mitch James in four milzy and guy.

11:33We're with you. Thanks to KoganMobarKogan.com. Click an awesome reposho next. Every game day, you show up for your team. Now, it's your time. We go. We go. We go. Ask your prescriber about Wigovie, some Maglattide injection 2.4 mg, a GLP1. Call 1-8-3-3-4 Wigovie or visit Wigovie.com to view the Medication Guide and to learn more about Wigovie. Why wait? We go. We go.