Fiery games, rule updates: are more netballers being sent from the court?

The netball of today is a far cry from the game played by generations gone by, and the rule book must adjust accordingly.

From its roots as 'women's basketball' in the 1890s, the game of netball has become a fast paced, highly physical 60-minute battle on court, and just as play has changed, so too have the rules.

But while it seems to be easier to send players from the court, local senior umpires don't want to see sendoffs become a regular occurrence.

Following the conclusion of a World Cup, held every four years, World Netball releases an updated rule book.

Amanda McLachlan confers with fellow umpire Betty Zhang at the Australian Men's & Mixed Netball Association national championships last month. Picture supplied

Coming into effect from January 1, the latest game management rules have altered how umpires deal with poor behaviour on court.

The move echoes ones made by sports across the country allowing for improved player and umpire safety.

Clarifications to game management actions include the removal of on court cautions, allowing for umpires to advance play, issue a warning, and then remove players from the court for two minutes.

It's an action that's already been taken by umpires at the local level.

Two players have been sent off during AFL Riverina run league games this season, and marching orders were also given during Wagga Netball Association's Premier League.

But top umpires in the region said they don't expect to see an increase in players sent to the bench.

Sending off remains the last call

Though the formal warnings before a send off have reduced, umpire mentor Jenny Lewington said they aren't new rules umpires are enforcing.

"They've just been clarified, they were always there," Lewington said.

"They had a rule for contact, but there was so many different aspects of contact and so many different aspects of obstruction that these rules are, they're not new rules, they are clarifications and making it clearer especially for the younger ones and the less experienced umpires to know what they are looking at."

With more than 40 years experience in the game, and one of the region's foremost umpire mentors, Lewington said she does not teach umpires to send players from the court.

It's a sentiment that was echoed by Netball NSW's Amanda McLachlan, who said umpires don't want teams to be down players on court.

"Players are now taking more responsibility for their actions on the court," McLachlan said.

"A lot of the new rules put a lot of onus on the player to tidy up what they're doing and that comes from the first thing we do with them, which is have an informal chat.

"Then we escalate that by advancing, then a warning and then suspension, but the other thing that we do when we have that chat is it gives them a chance to tidy up whatever it is they're being spoken about."

Though cautions have been removed, umpires are now allowed to speak with players without stopping the clock.

With 35 years experience, B badged umpire Naomi Hocker said the change has already been hugely beneficial.

Having only sent two players from the court in her career, Hocker said being able to speak with players without stopping play has improved adjustment times.

"That bit of a chit chat that you can have without stopping the play, it lets them know that you can see what's going on, it's not under the radar, but I like that you're not stopping the play, you're having a chat, they know you're looking at them," Hocker said.

"I love eye contact, that's always a winner, without blowing the whistle, and then if it happens again you can advance the play."

Hocker said by advancing the play there's an immediate impact on the entire team.

Naomi Hocker has more than 35 years experience in netball and is an AFL Riverina mentor. Picture supplied

Changes require coaches to step up education

While umpires can pull up players for unsafe or unsporting behaviour on court, the trio called for greater involvement from coaches.

The addition of rolling substitutes to the local game, they said, means that coaches have greater control to remove players from the court if they feel like they could benefit from a reset.

"They have to take ownership of their players on the court and take the opportunity to pull them off and have a chat with them," McLachlan said.

"If they don't, then one, the player is letting down the team, and two, the coach is also letting the player down by not coaching them specifically around that rule and how they can fix what they're doing and improve.

"Rolling subs is awesome, it really works in with that game management, it gives players an opportunity to come off and calm down and for the coach to have a chat to them."

Hocker said the discussion on send off rules are a good reminder on the importance of the coach-player relationships.

Respect should extend across the court and be held among all relationships between coaches, umpires, players, and opponents.

"It's a coaching thing, the coaches need to educate the players," Hocker said.

"If it gets to an advance play, adjust what you're doing, or it's not going to stop, if I am calling it as an umpire, I'm not going to stop, it's not going to change because we as umpires are taught to be consistent.

"So it's up to the coaches to say 'their three feet looks more like four feet, so you need to make it bigger or you're going to be sent off' you've got to play to the umpire, whether you agree with them or not."

They agreed that players do not go onto court looking to cause issues, emphasising that they want to see them playing as much as the players want to play.

Controlling the game key to keeping players on court

There was one thing the trio repeated on the issue, controlling the game early was the best prevention for poor on court behaviour.

In fact, it's the first thing Lewington teaches junior umpires.

Amanda McLachlan discusses a stop in play during a 2023 AFL Riverina A grade game. Picture by Madeline Begley

"One of the most important things that we teach them is how to control a game, not so much to be able to see everything that is happening on the court, but to have control of the game and get control early in the game so that the players know where they stand," Lewington said.

As the game continues to evolve she said umpires need to understand how to let the game flow.

Pairing the right umpire to the right game can also impact player behaviour.

Putting inexperienced or under confident umpires on top level games is a recipe for disaster.

Lewington said without confidence to blow the whistle and keep the players in check, the game can become an unpleasant experience for all involved.

"It's a bit like a child, how you have a child and you discipline them and they know their boundaries, it's the same in netball," she said.

"If you call a player within the first two minutes for doing something, and then five minutes later you've done it again, they know 'oh gee, I can't do that anymore' but if you let that go until the third quarter and then start jumping on it, they're not going to like that at all."

Hocker said the spectrum of umpires who have C badges can also be an issue when assigning the correct umpire to the correct game.

Ensuring that new or young umpires aren't put on top level games ensures not only that players don't get out of hand, but also that those umpires aren't put off returning to officiate.

All three women agreed that there is a reasonable base-line of respect from Wagga players towards umpires across all grades and leagues.

They reminded that the umpires are not there to be for or against any team, but simply uphold the laws of the game.

"I think generally you do get that respect, and again that comes down to education and I think it's filtered through," Hocker said.

"A lot of people go 'thank you umpires' and I don't think that happened before, so it has been filtered through from above."

Originally published in The Daily Advertiser. Thumbnail image supplied