IF you watched any local game of netball this year, you may have had to do a double take at one point, having sworn a player on the court wasn’t there just a second ago.
Well, you were probably right.
The introduction of the rolling substitution rule across Victorian grassroots netball competitions this season, including the Sunraysia and Millewa leagues, had a subtle yet profound impact on the way the game was played.
The rolling subs rule stems from basketball, and allows players to come off and on the court throughout a game without stopping the play.
The rule was implemented across all grades, with each club, team and coach using it slightly differently.
A notable use of the rule was in the SFNL A Grade grand final between Ouyen United and Wentworth.
Roos coach Amanda Edwards subbed in Lola McInerney halfway through the first quarter for Natalie Vercher in an attempt to combat best-on-court recipient Maggie Smith.
Edwards in the last quarter swapped herself and shooter Elizabeth Rowe into each other’s positions, and used Christie Becker as a rolling sub fill-in while making the switch.
But these examples are just two of many.
Millewa Football Netball League netball umpire Adrian Fox said while there wasn’t huge alterations to the way the game was officiated, he did have to learn to keep track of who was coming in and out.
“Then there was also a fair bit of traffic on the scoreboard side with subs coming on and off, so there is a little bit of anxiety if I’m watching the game – because I need to watch the game – and just running blindly over the sideline, am I going to clean someone up,” he said.
But for Fox, the pros far outweighed the cons.
He said it made the game more seamless, improved game quality, and gave more players an opportunity on the court.
“Honestly, it was a cool little addition because the game was getting to the stage where people were faking injuries so then they could make the substitutions anyway,” he said.
“Also, if things are getting a little bit tense on court between match-ups and that sort of stuff, coaches are able to bring people off, which means I didn’t have to send people off or anything like that because I wasn’t the only person having to manage someone’s behaviour.
“Before the rule change, there was the whole 15-minute quarters where if things are getting tense then I need to step in, otherwise it could be a bad time.”
Sunraysia Football & Netball League netball umpire educator Neale Clifford shared Fox’s sentiments, although admitted there were a few problems during the “transition period” of introducing the new rule.
“Much like any new rule that comes into a competition at the start of the season, it took a few weeks for the players, the coaches and the umpires to get used to,” he said.
“By halfway through the season I think most people were pretty used to it.
“But there was always problems later in the season where players were too eager to get on the court, so you sort of have to keep an eye on things like that.”
The rolling subs rule was initially implemented in the national Super Netball competition in 2020, and it was welcomed from the start.
The success of the rule at a grassroots level this season also poses the question of whether community league rules need to be more in line with the top tier.
Fox said there was a place for this, particularly more in the senior grades rather than the juniors, who need to focus more on the fundamentals of the international sport rather than extra rules.
“I would really like to be part of a league that keeps track of statistics,” he said.
“We watch the Super Netball League with shooting stats, averages, turnovers, all that sort of stuff.
“It would be interesting to be able to have a look at the people that you are playing against or coaching against to see how they’re team is going.”
FROM THE COACHES …
Kyra Nathan (Ouyen United): “I used the rolling subs too much early on in the season, and didn’t realise the detrimental effect on the team when multiple subs were used too often. The disruption to my team was evident. There is a fine balance to use it tactically and to the advantage of your own team. I got better as the season went on.”
Alison Walker (Imperials): “I tried doing it at the start but found it was more disruptive to the team than anything. If you have players who are like-minded and play similar games, it can be an clean switch, but if players aren’t to the same level you can notice the change within a quarter. I also found players’ demeanour when they got rolled off was down because it can be a feeling of being dragged.”
Melissa Kennedy (Cardross): “It will be interesting to see how it affects game fitness and not needing players to be as full-quarter fit with the options of going hard and then bringing fresh legs on.”
Georgia Giofrelle (Robinvale Euston): “I liked the rolling subs and I think it was a great idea implementing it. It gives the opportunity to make changes at crucial times in games for their benefit.”
Anna Thomson (Werrimull): “A player doesn’t have to be fit for the full 15 minutes anymore and it makes coaching decisions a lot easier as you aren’t relying on the positional change the full 15. That pressure on a player to perform also isn’t there, as if it’s not working you can easily sub them off now.”
Sherrie Geister (Irymple): “Coming into season 2024 I was a little sceptical at how they would work. But I definitely love the rule and believe it’s a positive change for our local competition.”
Annette Emonson (Nangiloc): “I never planned to use rolling subs a lot right from the start of the season, so I don’t think my idea of them changed throughout the season. I think too many changes wouldn’t be good for the team – you don’t want to interrupt the flow of your team with too many changes.”
Lateesha Hester (Bambill): “I still really like the thought of the rolling sub rule, but I feel that it needed to be clarified to clubs and umpires a little more just to ensure it was used to its full potential. I am looking forward to using them next year with different players and teams.”
Meg Newey (Gol Gol): “We always liked the idea of rolling subs but knew it would not be something we would require for all games. As the season went on, we trusted the decisions and changes made between quarters, making us less reliant on rolling subs.”
