IN a surprising addition to an already compromised season, the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) has today announced it will go ahead with a two-goal Super Shot in the 2020 season. This is the third new rule confirmed for 2020, with rolling substitutions and extra time also implemented ahead of the season start. According to a statement put out by the Suncorp Super Netball on Tuesday, the two-goal Super Shot will add a new element and remove predictability to the Super Netball competition, with Suncorp Super Netball CEO Chris Symington saying today that “90% of goals scored during Suncorp Super Netball matches were within three metres of the goal post”. “With the ever-growing competition for the attention of fans, the time is right to introduce an innovation that will make the game even more dynamic and unpredictable.”  Active in the final five minutes of each quarter, the Super Shot will see teams able to add an extra two goals to their tally from a designated zone within the goal circle. In the instance of tied scores at the end of a match, teams will play five minutes of extra time with the Super Shot active for the entirety of the extra time. Trialled in early March for the Diamonds versus SSN All Stars Bushfire Relief match, the switch-up saw plenty of goalers try their hand at the long shot. There are plenty of pros and cons to rule changes, though this one seems to be a real contentious decision that much of the netball public does not agree with. In what has been a widely critiqued announcement, many are also wondering why the change has been made now, given the 2020 season has already had to reschedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But what does this mean for the competition as a whole? Well on one hand, it will bring a new layer to the Super Netball competition which is arguably the greatest in the world. It could be an interesting growth point for netball in Australia given the nation’s current mainstay of tall timbers holding space in the goal circle. In the long term, this could be a great boost to the Australian pathways in providing more versatility inside the circle and growing players to adapt. It also adds another dimension and theatrics to the game, meaning teams can adapt to the match at hand and switch up their attacking style.  However, what needs to be taken into consideration is the impact this could then have on Australia’s future in international competitions, with the domestic competition moving further and further away from the sport as seasons go on. To add another layer, this ruling will only come into fruition in the Super Netball competition and none of its feeders, though the Australian Netball League (ANL) will not go ahead in 2020. It has also now been confirmed on social media that clubs and players were seemingly not alerted of the change, with Melbourne Vixens stating on Twitter that “Vixens coaches and players have been left shocked with only 6 weeks until R1.”

Players not being consulted over the biggest rule change netball has seen is terrible @SuperNetball @AusNetballPA https://t.co/i2z8oCmhPa

— Caitlin Thwaites (@CaitlinThwaites) June 23, 2020