When Takuva’ine and Arorangi premier netball teams meet on Saturday, it will be eight years since the two sides were last drawn to play each other in a Rarotonga club knockout final.

That game was scheduled for 13 May 2017.

The game was never played.

Two days previously, on 11 May 2017, the disputes committee of the Rarotonga Netball Centre (RNC) was convened. The Centre was the incorporated body which oversaw domestic netball on Rarotonga.

The venue for this sitting was the ANZ Bank boardroom in Avarua.

The committee looked into a complaint made by the Takuva’ine club against a Titikaveka player who played in the reserve grade one week, and then the premiers the next (semi-final), during the knockout competition. The complaint was laid following Titikaveka’s premier team win over Takuva’ine in the KO semi-final played on 6 May.

Both sides made submissions to the committee and the committee released its decision the following day which went in favour of Takuva’ine.

The committee said that there were “no written competition rules which would have given clarity and guidance on the issue on hand” and noted that these types of disputes were rare which suggested that “the rules and practice around the KO competition regarding player qualification and movement from one team to another were well established and understood”.

What made things difficult was the competition manager had ‘approved’ for the Titikaveka player to play in the reserves on the first Saturday.

At a delegate meeting of 24 April, the competition manager outlined the rules as to the KO competition in that “players must select the team they play for in the knockouts”. This was further clarified at the delegates meeting of 1 May.

In its decision, the committee said the rules regarding the movement of players between grades during the KO competition is “well established” and the player had to remain in one team for the duration of the competition.

The committee deemed that by playing the player in the premier team against Takuva’ine on 6 May, had breached the competition rules and therefore forfeited that game to Takuva’ine.

To add a surprising twist to the saga, Titikaveka appealed the decision to Oceania Netball – despite RNC’s rules being silent on how appeal matters are to be handled. This was also after an assurance from the club given at the beginning of the Disciplinary Committee’s hearing to accept its decision as final, regardless of the outcome.

Cook Islands News reported on the matter in its issue of 16 May 2017.

“The RNC dispute committee ruled that Takuva’ine will play Arorangi, which defeated Avatiu, in the other semi, in the premier showdown.

“But an appeal from Titikaveka forced the competition organisers to postpone the feature match of the day.

“No premier game was played on Saturday due to an appeal by the Titikaveka legal counsel against a decision given by the RNC dispute committee for disqualifying the Titikaveka premier grade from playing in the finals,” said the competition co-ordinator.

Oceania deemed RNC’s decision as “void”. It is where the matter lies today.

Eight years later, there are at least four players – three from Takuva’ine and one from Arorangi who should have played that day.

May the best team win. Bring it on.

– Moana Moeka’a