{"id":581845,"date":"2026-08-27T10:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T10:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/581845\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T10:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T10:34:12","slug":"netball-three-more-silver-ferns-confirm-their-australian-moves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/581845\/","title":{"rendered":"Netball: Three more Silver Ferns confirm their Australian moves"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">A further three Silver Ferns have confirmed they will be playing netball in Australia&#8217;s domestic league next year, with Mila Reuelu-Buchanan and Amelia Walmsley earning maiden contracts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Meanwhile, Silver Fern Grace Nweke has signed a deal with the new-look Sydney Sirens, which will lock her into the Australian league for the next three years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">New Zealand&#8217;s leading netballers are heading offshore in unprecedented numbers as the future of the country&#8217;s elite domestic competition remains uncertain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/sport\/1063685\/new-zealand-netball-exodus-tracking-every-player-heading-overseas-for-2027\" class=\"underline-brand-hover visited:text-foreground-secondary hover:visited:text-foreground-primary\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">New Zealand netball exodus: Tracking every player heading overseas for 2027<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">A record 11 New Zealand players have so far been confirmed for the 2027 Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) competition &#8211; nine are current Silver Ferns. Five top players have also inked deals in the UK, including some of New Zealand&#8217;s brightest young talent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Securing Nweke&#8217;s signature for three years is a major coup for the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) club, formerly known as the Giants, who have new owners at the helm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Nweke spent her first two seasons at crosstown rivals the NSW Swifts, but said the opportunity to help shape the future of the Sydney Sirens was a major factor in her decision.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">&#8220;The ambition of the organisation was really exciting, and I wanted to be part of that journey. Being able to help shape a club&#8217;s identity and culture in its early years is a unique opportunity. I&#8217;m in it for the long haul and feel so excited to be involved in this new chapter as part of the inaugural Sirens squad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">&#8220;I&#8217;ve fallen in love with Sydney over the past two seasons, and I&#8217;m excited to continue to build a life in this amazing city with a club that has such a bold vision for the future,&#8221; Nweke said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Sydney Sirens head coach Nerida Stewart said locking in one of the biggest names in world netball was a defining moment for the club.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">&#8220;Grace is one of the premier athletes in world netball&#8230; she&#8217;s a proven match-winner, a world-class competitor and someone capable of changing a game in an instant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">&#8220;She&#8217;s become one of the most influential players in the competition and someone opposition teams must plan for every single week,&#8221; Stewart said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Nweke, who was the highest goal-scorer at the recent Commonwealth Games, will partner with Australian Diamonds&#8217; shooter Sophie Dwyer in the Sydney Sirens&#8217; inaugural roster.<\/p>\n<p>Melbourne Vixens recruit three Silver Ferns<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4JKV9FT_260726SilverFernsJamaica_062_JPG.jpeg\"  alt=\"Mila Reuelu-Buchanan of New Zealand, New Zealand Silver Ferns v Jamaica, pool B netball match of the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games at OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland on Sunday 26 July 2026.&#10;Photo: Jayne Russell \/ Photosport\" width=\"614\" height=\"384\" class=\"ml:max-h-[50rem] max-w-full aspect-[16\/10] object-cover\"  decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Silver Fern Mila Reuelu-Buchanan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-foreground-secondary flex-shrink-0 ml-4\">Jayne Russell \/ Photosport<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Also on Thursday, the Melbourne Vixens announced that Silver Fern shooter Amelia Walmsley was joining the club, who finished runners-up this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">And as revealed by RNZ, Silver Fern midcourter Mila Reuelu-Buchanan will ply her trade in the SSN next year, with the Vixens confirming the midcourter&#8217;s signing today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">The Vixens now have a trio of Kiwis on their 2027 roster after Silver Fern Carys Stythe was added to their defensive end earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Reuelu-Buchanan has played nine seasons of ANZ Premiership netball, eight of those at the Stars, who she captained this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Reuelu-Buchanan&#8217;s stocks rose at the recent Commonwealth Games, where the Silver Ferns won gold in Glasgow. The 28-year-old demonstrated her versatility in the midcourt by taking on the wing defence bib for the first time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Vixens head coach Di Honey said Reuelu-Buchanan was a quality international midcourter, who would bring a different style.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">&#8220;She has performed strongly in New Zealand&#8217;s domestic competition and on the international stage, and we believe her competitiveness and versatility will be a great fit for us,&#8221; Honey said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Reuelu-Buchanan said stepping into the world&#8217;s toughest domestic competition was a challenge she was ready to embrace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">&#8220;When the opportunity came up, it was a no brainer for me and my family. I know I&#8217;m stepping into an environment that will challenge me, help me grow and allow me to learn from some incredible players, coaches and people,&#8221; Reuelu-Buchanan said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Last month Reuelu-Buchanan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/sport\/654083\/netball-nz-finally-sits-down-with-players-to-talk-about-the-future\" class=\"underline-brand-hover visited:text-foreground-secondary hover:visited:text-foreground-primary\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">told RNZ that she could not be confident that there would be a professional domestic league in New Zealand<\/a> in 2027.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">&#8220;It makes me sad that I can&#8217;t confidently say yes. I&#8217;m confident that something&#8217;s going to happen, I don&#8217;t know what that looks like and playing for New Zealand is the ultimate honour but the Silver Ferns don&#8217;t exist without the pathways beneath them,&#8221; Reuelu-Buchanan said at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Walmsley, who also played at the Stars this year, said leaving the South Auckland based side was something she never imagined she would be doing so soon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">&#8220;It&#8217;s time for a new challenge, and to continue to learn and grow. It&#8217;s not a goodbye, hopefully a see you later,&#8221; she posted on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Walmsley is the main understudy to Silver Fern strike shooter Grace Nweke but the 18-Test cap international has also started to develop her game at goal attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">The 22-year-old will join a world class Vixens shooting end that boasts the Australian Diamonds starting combination of Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">Nweke&#8217;s decision to play in the SSN league helped pave the way for other Silver Ferns stars to explore opportunities in Australia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">It essentially forced Netball NZ to revisit its strict selection policy when she joined the Swifts in 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"[&amp;_em]:font-serif-text-italic [&amp;_cite]:font-serif-text-italic\">The national body recently scrapped any restrictions around New Zealand players competing overseas, given it could not provide any guarantees that there will be an elite domestic competition next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A further three Silver Ferns have confirmed they will be playing netball in Australia&#8217;s domestic league next year,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581846,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-581845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}