'Alarm bells' as Melbourne Mavericks defender Olivia Lewis' 'bombshell' code switch puts netball on notice

Melbourne Mavericks defender Olivia Lewis has announced she is making the switch to a rival code to chase a new sporting "dream".

Speaking at the Mavericks' end-of-season awards night on Thursday, Lewis confirmed that she would be departing the club to pursue an AFLW career.

Without a contract for the 2026 season, Lewis, 26, admitted that this was the "right time" for her to make the move.

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"I'm playing footy. Bombshell, I know," the Mavericks' defender of the year told SEN on Friday.

"I'm excited to announce I'm chasing a career in footy and playing AFLW. It's been a dream of mine for a really long time.

"Now is the time for me to go and chase another dream. The hardest part for me is leaving the Mavs, netball is one thing, but the Mavs is a special place.

"This is a really exciting step for me."

Following a decorated junior career, Lewis made her Super Netball debut with the West Coast Fever in 2019, spending three seasons with the club before landing at the Melbourne Vixens, where she played for two years.

She became an inaugural Maverick in 2024, playing 28 games across the last two seasons.

"This is a decision I've been sitting on for a while and something that I've wanted to pursue for a long time, and now I just think it's the right time for me to go and chase that dream," Lewis said.

"I'm really content with the career I've had in netball, and I'm really grateful for what netball has given to me, so overall I'm just really excited."

While Lewis will not be able to play in the upcoming AFLW season, the Western Australian product is hoping to be selected by a Melbourne club in the rookie draft at the end of the year.

While Mavericks CEO Richard Simkiss said Lewis "has the support of our entire group" to jump ship, alarm bells should be going off for the Super Netball league and Netball Australia.

With the rise of other female sporting codes, not traditionally played by women at the grassroots level, including Australian rules football, cricket and rugby league, their professional leagues are offering competitive opportunities to female athletes that rival netball's pathway.

Lewis follows in the footsteps of several former national team players who successfully made the switch between codes.

Retired Diamonds Sharni Norder (née Layton) and Ashleigh Brazill both pursued AFLW careers, with the latter to lace up her boots for the Fremantle Dockers later this month.

NSW Swifts midcourter Verity Simmons also joined the West Coast Eagles on a rookie contract for the 2024 AFLW season but was later delisted. She then announced her return to the Super Netball.

This trend of top netball talent switching codes to pursue a career in AFLW is a clear indicator of the vulnerable position netball in Australia faces and the sport's need to evolve to remain competitive.

With more choice for women and girls than ever before, the landscape of women's sports in Australia has changed dramatically.

As leagues like the AFLW and NRLW have grown in popularity, they can now offer elite pathways and media attention that were once offered almost exclusively by netball.

This, in turn, has seen female grassroots sports participants, who might have traditionally chosen to play netball, now have other attractive options.

Another threat is also coming to Australian netball's elite pathway, but from across the ditch.

Last month, Netball New Zealand updated the Silver Ferns' eligibility criteria to allow greater flexibility for athletes who want to play overseas.

The revised criteria will now allow athletes playing abroad the opportunity to be considered for national selection through a formal exemption process.

The previous eligibility rule required New Zealanders to have played 100 international Test caps to be eligible to represent the Silver Ferns while also playing professionally overseas.

This block saw star goaler Grace Nweke turn away from the Black Dress for a year to sign with the Swifts for 2025.

With an influx of Kiwi players now expected to try and crack into Super Netball, debate is raging over what this could mean for Australian pathway athletes wanting to play in the domestic league.

Diamonds great Kim Green believes Kiwi players will put pressure on homegrown talent, but this is a necessary part of ensuring the Super Netball remains the best netball league in the world.

"As we know, this is a business. You want the best players in the world playing here," she told Fox Netball's Pivot.

"When you look at the coaches trying to sign their team up for the season, they want to be winning, so, of course, you're going to be looking for the best that are out here.

"We have some beautiful young juniors coming through, and we're still seeing them coming through.

"The 11th player rule obviously helps with that.

"They will take up spots … [but] I don't think New Zealand are going to let them all come over, but I think there will be a few."

The 11th player rule was introduced for the 2024 season to give a nominated athlete — often one of a club's training partners — a place in their squad of 10, providing an additional opportunity for a developing player to be part of the team and potentially gain game-day experience.

Fellow Australian netball great Bianca Chatfield agreed that Super Netball should welcome more international talent.

"Obviously, it's a competitive environment to get one spot on a list of 10.

"I think we're going to see the likes of potentially a Kelly Jackson, even a [Maddy] Gordon or [Kate] Heffernan coming over here and playing in Super Netball," she said.

"I think it's great. I think bring it on — let's see how many internationals we can get out here playing in the best competition in the world."

Chatfield also argued that the Super Netball should no longer act as the "one pathway" for Diamonds selection, with the relatively new Super Netball Reserves competition needing a more elevated status.

Australia's top players in the goal shooter and goal keeper positions have already consistently faced strong competition from imports for starting spots in the Super Netball league.

"What I think needs to become a priority is what happens in the Super Netball Reserves," Chatfield said.

"We've seen Lucy Austin play two games in Super Netball and now be in the Aussie squad [as an invitee], right? So, we need to look at what that Reserves opportunity is.

"It needs to be a competition that goes the entire length of Super Netball as well, because maybe our Diamonds and the opportunity comes from who is performing at that level if there're no spots.

"Like in the shooter positions, there're no spots open [for emerging Australian talent].

"Of course, we want to see plenty of Aussies on court in Super Netball, but the competition, I believe, has to stand on its own, not be the one pathway for Diamonds players."

Fellow Diamonds invitee Donnell Wallam is the only athlete selected who is playing abroad.

So, while netball is actively working to evolve in Australia, it would be naive to presume the sport's long-standing leadership in women's sport and its deep roots in female empowerment will be enough to stop top players from switching codes.