New Zealand Netball have opted to bite their lip for the sake of the Silver Ferns after last year's shambolic series against Jamaica saw them lose over $400,000 in finances.
It was confirmed by World Netball earlier this week that Netball NZ would receive just $10,000 in compensation from Netball Jamaica despite the six-figure toll the disastrous tour cost.
Despite the significant contrast in numbers, Netball NZ CEO Jennie Wyllie said they had taken in the full picture rather than just focusing on the figures.
"It certainly doesn't touch the sides on the impact on us but the impact, if we were to follow up on our losses, would have been vast for the game," Wyllie told 1News.
"Is the fine commensurate? No, it's not, However, it is commensurate relative to Jamaica's financial funds and what have you - it is significant for them."
Jamaica's trip to New Zealand last September spelled trouble before the Sunshine Girls had even arrived in Aotearoa, with a squad vastly different to the one that won a historic silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games named due to some of their stars being rested.
Passport and visa issues then saw the team's departure delayed so significantly that the first two Tests in Hamilton were eventually scrapped.
When Jamaica finally did arrive, they only had seven of the 12 players they'd originally named for the tour with the others unable to travel due to visa issues.
That saw Netball NZ and Netball Jamaica scrambling to find three other players to give the remaining two games Test status with sides needing to field at least 10 athletes.
In the end, coach Connie Francis, in her 50s, put her name down alongside two players flown in from Australia; retired 38-year-old Carla Borrego and Romelda Aiken-George, who had given birth just six weeks earlier.
The Silver Ferns pummelled the significantly underpowered side 70-45 and 75-35.
'You have to put that to the side'
Wyllie said rather than seeking financial returns from the costly chaos, Netball NZ are seeking organisational changes at an international level.
"What we're after is more significant change at World Netball level, increased professionalism, improvement in policy and process and an understanding that we're working in a really commercial world and that there are ramifications for not delivering on requirements," she said.
"That's our bigger goal in the scheme of things - to see improvement for the wider game to be better."
In the meantime, Wyllie said they would still work with Netball Jamaica going forward, knowing how important they are to keeping the Silver Ferns competitive.
"Jamaica is a fantastic side," she said.
"[Silver Ferns coach] Noeline [Taurua] wants to play the very best and for us to be world champions again, we have to play the best.
"So at a point in time you have to put that to the side, but also take some learnings from it and we certainly won't find ourselves in a similar position going forward.
"So Jamaica still remain people that we want to play against but we just have to make sure that we find ourselves in a position where they're not sending their best players and their volunteer organisation has a better of idea of getting the right people here."
Wyllie added those demands were not only for Netball NZ, but for fans and the Silver Ferns players as well.
"We need to get to a place where the mana of the Silver Ferns is taken seriously," she said.
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