Young Silver Fern defender Carys Stythe joins exodus to Australia
Silver Fern defender Carys Stythe has signed with the Melbourne Vixens, becoming the latest New Zealand netball player to move to the Australian league. This trend is driven by the lack of guarantees regarding an elite domestic competition in New Zealand for 2027.
Why it matters
The exodus of top-tier talent highlights the instability of New Zealand's professional netball infrastructure compared to the Australian market.
Up and coming Silver Fern defender Carys Stythe has signed with the Melbourne Vixens, joining the exodus of home-grown talent who will play in next year's Australian netball league.
Stythe is the sixth current Silver Fern who has signed to play in the 2027 Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) league, with at least three more expected to be announced] before the Australian contracting window ends this Friday.
Two former Silver Ferns - Ameliaranne Eknenasio and Te Paea Selby-Rickit will also play in the SSN next year.
Players have been forced to look overseas as Netball NZ has not been able to provide any guarantees that there will be an elite domestic competition next year.
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