Grace Nweke feels she’s grown out of New Zealand netball as she pursues Australian franchise netball
Towering shooter Grace Nweke won’t play for New Zealand nextyear as she signs with the New South Wales Swifts in Australia’s Super Netball competition for the 2025 season.
The 22-year-old – who has played for the Northern Mystics since debuting in the ANZ Premiership in 2019 – was announced today by the Swifts via a statement on their website.
Grace Nweke told NZME she was keen to move across the ditch because she wasn’t challenged enough in Aotearoa.
“I didn’t see any other club in New Zealand being able to tick those boxes for me in terms of growing my game and developing there so an opportunity to play for the Swifts came across to me and I really had to sit on it - but do feel right now that this move will be massive for growing my netball.”
“I’ve been ready for a new life experience. I’ve loved my stint at the Mystics and in that time we’ve won three premierships. At the moment, [I’ve] done all that I can at the club and I just really wanted to challenge myself to grow and be a better netballer at the international level to really add to my skill set. A move would be beneficial to me across the board,” Nweke said.
It means Nweke is unable to play for the Silver Ferns from next year because the current Netball New Zealand regulations state only ANZ Premiership athletes can play for the country. The rules are different from the likes of England and Jamaica, where players are free to move elsewhere and still be eligible for their national team.
Nweke said knowing this fact made her move difficult to follow through with.
“It’s been actually a really hard time trying to come to this decision during finals and I think it’s hard enough to leave a club that you love and a place that you call home - but coupled with that, the politics of eligibility with Netball New Zealand and Silver Ferns and how this move affects that, there were a lot of pros and cons and back and forth with my manager and people that I value the opinions of... to really figure out if this was the right move.”
“Deep down I just felt like I needed to do this and I understand the consequences of it.
She explained Netball NZ encouraged her to stay to remain eligible for the Silver Ferns and continue adding to the ANZ Premiership.
“I shared my reasons as to why I was wanting to go hoping that they would still allow an exemption for me.”
The Aucklander could potentially still play for her country if she fell into the strict criteria which included having played 100 international test matches. Nweke said knowing the exemption was unlikely to be approved, she didn’t follow through with an application.
As a player who just wants to grow their game, Nweke said it’s unfortunate that this is how it has to play out.
“Whether the eligibility rules change is not up to me, but obviously selfishly, I hope they do. I would love to be back in the black dress in 2025.”
The shooter’s discussion with national team coach, Dame Noeline Taurua were conducted early in the process Nweke said.
“It was really cool to have her weigh in and just encourage me to follow trust my gut and do what feels right. I know that this move I’ll be able to grow my game and she’s supportive of that and hopefully [I can] bring that back into the Silver Ferns whenever and however that looks like.”
Nweke has been a key figure for the Mystics and Ferns since becoming professional as a 17-year-old. The star shooter was heavily missed at last year’s 2023 World Cup – where New Zealand finished fourth – after suffering a knee injury in the group stage.
Nweke’s move across the ditch is an example of how the Australians use their domestic competition to build up their national team. Super Netball has unlimited import spots which exposes the Diamonds to a higher level of opposition.
It comes after calls from Kiwi netballers to re-unify New Zealand’s ANZ Premiership with Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball.
Multiple outlets report Netball New Zealand has moved to acquire three franchise licences in Australia’s Super Netball competition, which would leave half of Aotearoa’s domestic sides high and dry from 2026. If three licences are attained, they would likely be for teams based in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
If this is the case it might see Nweke miss international netball for only a season.
Nweke will still be available for the 2024 international season as she played for the Mystics this calendar year. The Silver Ferns are currently in a training camp ahead of their Taini Jamison Trophy series in September and October against the England Roses and the Constellation Cup against the Aussies immediately after.