Firebirds head coach Roselee Jencke has responded to backlash from netball fans and commentators, after deciding not to play Jemma Mi Mi during the league's Indigenous Round.
The 24-year-old Queensland star has been the league's only Indigenous player across 2019 and 2020, and was given no game time during the Firebirds clash against the Vixens on Sunday.
Jencke said that while the decision not to play Mi Mi was “the right one from a game strategy perspective” it was an error in judgment. Credit:Getty
The Firebirds also blamed the decision on the pressure mounted by their 2019 last-place finish, stating the club had come under "heavy scrutiny" over their performance last year.
Jencke added that Mi Mi also felt a "huge responsibility" being the only Indigenous player in Super Netball.
"Her wellbeing is our paramount concern and we ask that she be given space to process this in her own time," Jencke said. "Jemma has and continues to develop our cultural awareness and has shared with her teammates her own cultural journey as a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman.
She should have been afforded more respect and consideration.
"We are very proud that Jemma is a Firebird."
All Super Netball games for the round were relocated to Townsville and Cairns for Indigenous Round, with Mi Mi used in a number of the league's media opportunities for the week leading up to the round.
Mi Mi debuted for the Firebirds in 2017 and is ranked third for assists for the club.
Despite her skill, Jencke has been opting for Lara Dunkley at wing attack in recent weeks.
Former Firebirds captain Sharon Finnan-White, who is one of just two indigenous Diamonds in history, took to social media to express her disappointment after the game.
"Jemma Mi Mi is a role model for all Indigenous people. She can use her media profile to inspire our younger generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players," she wrote on Twitter. "You can’t be inspired by what you can’t see. She should have been afforded more respect and consideration."
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