susan crow

RIVALS are on recruiting raids in Victoria to top up their netball teams for the new Tasman Trophy. Some players were sounded out weeks before the grand final.

It is believed several Phoenix and Kestrels players have been approached since the Commonwealth Bank Trophy disbanded last weekend.

With Phoenix and Kestrels players fighting for spots in one Melbourne team, there is a surplus talent pool for interstate clubs to plunder.

Former Phoenix champion Eloise Southby-Halbish, who manages some of the sport's biggest names, including Phoenix co-captain Bianca Chatfield and Kestrels shooter Caitlin Thwaites, warned Netball Victoria it could lose its stars.

"Phoenix and Kestrels are gutted that their teams have been ripped apart, and because of that they have no loyalty," Southby-Halbish said.

"I'd sign those top players straight away.

"You need to make sure they are signed, sealed and delivered to Victoria. If you wait too long, other teams will come after them."

Southby-Halbish said she had urged Netball Victoria and the coach of the yet-to-be-named Melbourne side, Julie Hoornweg, to quickly sign players, but "the message is not getting through".

Netball Victoria chief executive Susan Crow said players would be selected at trials next month at a venue where neither Phoenix or Kestrels had trained.

Two independent selectors are expected to help Hoornweg pick her squad.

"It's a joke," Southby-Halbish said of the selection process for players who had just contested the Commonwealth Bank Trophy final series.

"Make someone like Sharelle McMahon trial for the team? It sends a very bad message."

Crow said there were no player contracts ready to sign, so "no one can grab anyone yet because they're not in a position to sign anything".

But Netball Australia has given states permission to approach players.

Netball Australia chief executive Kate Palmer said the states were free to open contract discussions.

"Tasman Trophy contracts will be based on the approved CBT model, subject to finalising terms and conditions with the Australian Netball Players' Association," Palmer said.

"Preliminary meetings have already been held with the ANPA on contracts, but this does not prevent states engaging in contract negotiations."

The Tasman Trophy will have a salary cap of about $270,000 for the 12-member squad, giving players a significant lift on their CBT earnings.

Southby-Halbish said the Melbourne players should be encouraged to use their new-found bargaining power.

"I'm not encouraging them to leave Victoria," Southby-Halbish said.

"I'm encouraging them to speak to other clubs because it makes them more valuable. It's a business.

"The players love Victoria and would love to play for Victoria, but they have to do what's right for themselves."

The VIS has awarded 24 scholarships for the new Melbourne team, enabling a squad of 12 to train alongside the team.

The name and colours of the new team are expected to be finalised next month, with neither Phoenix nor Kestrels colours featuring.

"There will be no orange or purple. It will be a new stand-alone team," Crow said.

Christina Stolarz / The Detroit News

Advertisement

Get free headlines by e-mail
Get text alerts on your cell phone
Get The Detroit News on your PDA
Email us your feedback

Green

Printer friendly version
Comment on this story
Send this story to a friend
Get Home Delivery
Today's Most E-Mailed Stories

Federal prosecutor from Florida caught in child sex sting
Deadline set for Comcast double-billing refunds
Kitna says 'miracle' allowed him to go back in game
Hispanics to create a room of their own
Former teacher at Canton school arraigned for alleged sex with 15 year old
UAW, GM tangle on key issues
$25M donation to boost WSU medical school
Two stations fight it out on Internet
Nostalgia fans buy pieces of Tigers lore Detroit
Cool weather prompts hawks to begin migration south for winter
[+] More

WARREN -- Longtime Warren Consolidated Schools board member Jon Green said Thursday he is disappointed that his colleagues voted to remove him from the board's top spot this week, saying it sets a "dangerous" precedent.

Green said he believes he was removed as board president because of differences on the board over who should be the next superintendent.

While district officials say his claims are untrue, Green says such decisions can set a dangerous precedent because anytime board members disagree, it could lead to a change in leadership.

"Instead of just voting against the person (I support), they just removed me," said Green, who has served on the board for 12 years. "You have to have cause to remove somebody. They don't have any.

"It doesn't make any sense."

Board members voted 4-2 to strip Green of his presidency -- after voting him into the position in July -- at a special meeting earlier this week. Green and board secretary Brian White voted against the measure; treasurer Susan Kattula left the meeting early.

Trustee Loretta Crow, a board member since 2000, has taken over as president. Her responsibilities now include leading the board meeting, setting district policies and handling the replacement of Superintendent James Clor, who is retiring in November.

Green will now serve as a board trustee, said Robert Freehan, a communications consultant with the district.

He said it's the first time the Warren Consolidated Schools board has changed leadership in the middle of the school year, except for filling unplanned vacancies.

"Board members elect officers each year and they wanted to change the direction, the leadership," he said. "That's their prerogative. It's OK in the bylaws of a special meeting."

Crow and the school board attorney, Donald P. DeNault Jr., didn't return calls Thursday to The Detroit News.

Although he's unsure what to do next, Green said he plans to fight for his leadership role.

"You can't remove a person because you don't like their personality," said Green, a physical education and health teacher at Hazel Park High School. "I don't think they followed procedure."