Netball NZ must revisit eligibility rules after Silver Fern Nweke's Constellation Cup dominance

The Silver Ferns lifted to a level they hadn't reached in years during the Constellation Cup series against Australia, bringing the trans-Tasman trophy back to New Zealand with three consecutive commanding wins.

Their success was in no small part due to the dominance of goalshoot Grace Nweke, who continued her ascent as one of the best players on the planet. Coming off their series defeat to England, she showed just how much of an impact her presence alone makes to the overall quality of the side.

The 22-year-old shot the ball at a 93.5 percent success rate through the series, proving just how valuable she is for the Ferns given the drop off to the next most accurate shooters is in the low 80-percent range.

Dame Noeline Taurua now faces the daunting proposition of being without her most dangerous weapon next year. She'll head across the ditch to play for Sydney-based New South Wales Swifts in the Australian domestic competition, making her ineligible to represent New Zealand.

One of Nweke's motivations for the move is to develop her own game by competing in what's become the sport's strongest domestic league. That's reason enough for Netball NZ to revisit their policies, says former Silver Fern Jodi Brown, with those improvements only set to pay off for the Silver Ferns in the long run.

"I think (Nweke's departure) will concern them and I think Netball NZ will need to look at their ruling now," Brown told SENZ's Scotty & Izzy.

"I think Grace has more than proved her worth in terms of what she is in that Silver Ferns dress for us, and I think they really need to listen to her and the fact that she's doing this to grow herself.

"She's doing this to go over and play against the best players in the world in that league and that's only going to help New Zealand.

"I really would urge Netball NZ to have a look at this."

Brown says the eligibility rules are part of an ongoing review of netball and how to maintain the sport's appeal, suggesting a change in the ANZ Premiership schedule to allow Kiwi players to also go and play in Australia.

Despite Nweke's clear importance to the Silver Ferns, Brown doesn't believe Netball NZ will be swayed in its stance, but hopes it will at least some spark some dialogue.

"I don't hold out a whole lot of hope," she admitted. "I think rules are rules, and they've obviously made them and I think they're pretty good at sticking to them and weathering the storm, so to speak.

"But I really do hope that they do have a conversation about it and I think it's worth having a conversation about it. I think we owe it to our players to have that conversation."

Listen to the full interview below: