With just two weeks left to play in Super Netball's home and away season, the competition has reportedly sold the rights for its 2022 Grand Final to Perth Arena.
Ever since the national netball league was established in 1997, the winning team of the major semi-final has in almost all cases been awarded the right to host the decider.
In addition, the last two years' grand finals had to be played in Queensland due to COVID restrictions.
Although Netball Australia and CEO Kelly Ryan are yet to confirm or deny the news, electing to stay silent on the issue on Wednesday, sources say the national sporting body is exploring its options – with News Corp reporting several different states have been bidding to hold the event.
It is a move that demonstrates the desperate position the sport must find itself in after facing financial hardship during the pandemic, and will no doubt enrage netball fans, who were promised a new era of open and clear communication from Ryan when she took on the role last June.
Now the clubs and players have been blindsided with another crucial decision integral to the competition with no say, two years after the controversial super shot rule was introduced under similar circumstances.
Fans are still split down the middle on whether the rule should be in place, and the way it was sprung on clubs six weeks before the first whistle of the 2020 season didn't help; with teams already in the later stages of their pre-season preparations and their rosters firmly locked in place.
At the time, the coaches and players were vocal about their distaste for the way the decision had been handled, with zero consultation happening with those the rules would affect the most.
However, it appears Netball Australia hasn't learnt its lesson from that disaster, with the news about this year's Grand Final breaking before the penultimate round.
Not to mention trading an opportunity to make quick money at the expense of the competition's integrity and its responsibility to uphold what is fair and what is right.
Currently, the Melbourne Vixens are eight points clear of the West Coast Fever at the top of the ladder, only needing to win their match against the Adelaide Thunderbirds on Saturday to cement the minor premiership.
But what good is it winning that title? If it feels hollow in its promise to offer that team an opportunity to secure a home court advantage for the most important game of the year.
The club are entitled to feel like they've been hard done by in this scenario, particularly when you consider this may mean that their fans miss out on the opportunity to watch them play in a Grand Final for the second time in three years.
In 2020, they were the most successful team, only dropping two games in their march towards the trophy, driven by a desire to 'do it for Victoria' with their families, friends and fans all stuck in lockdown.
They beat the Fever at the Queensland State Netball Centre with jubilation, but told the media it would have felt extra special to have done it in front of a packed stadium at John Cain Arena.
In 2021, the NSW Swifts and Giants experienced the same strange feeling, battling for the title at the same venue in front of a neutral crowd.
So for Netball Australia to sell off its most valuable match to one of the furthest and most expensive states to travel to in this country – now that COVID restrictions have finally lifted, allowing people to get behind their teams – it feels like a slap in the face to loyal fans.
It also does nothing to help the relationship between the Fever and Vixens, who already had some beef play out in a very public fashion last year, when the Vixens refused to board a plane to Perth to face the Fever after three of their players were denied entry to the state.
The Round 7 match had to be cancelled and scheduled later on, with the Vixens fined and the Fever forced to foot the bill for the venue and associated costs of putting on the event with such a late withdrawal.
With both clubs refusing to budge on the situation, it demonstrated a lack of leadership from Netball Australia and didn't do any favours for the public's opinion of the Fever; after they were exposed for cheating the salary cap before the 2021 season start.
Now this news, which has been driven, as far as the ABC can understand, by state governments and not the clubs, will only add fuel to the fire as people argue whether they should be entitled to host this year's deciding game.
While we always thought the Vixens and Fever were probably going to be the last ones standing anyway, it's important to mention that there are still five other teams in the hunt for a top four spot that could be affected by this decision.
It also poses an interesting question around the broadcast, with Fox Netball opting to save money by not sending its commentators to any of the Perth matches so far this year, instead opting to call the matches off screens.
Will the same be done for the Grand Final? You'd hope they could make the trip for the decider to do the game justice.
But as we wait to hear from Kelly Ryan on the matter, it seems clear that Netball Australia have already hedged their bets.
Let's just hope the team in green aren't knocked out in the finals, otherwise the sport will be faced with the challenge of encouraging a neutral crowd to attend its Grand Final for a third straight year... and that can't be smart for business.
