THIS is the moment a transgender netball player sent a rival crashing to the court – just days before being banned from competing as teams threatened to boycott matches.
Footage shows Manawa Aranui, a former elite men’s player, crashing into an opponent during a hard but legal play in Australia.
The moment Manawa Aranui crashed into an opponent during a netball game
Aranui immediately offers a hand to help her up
The athlete used to be an elite men’s netball player
Instagram/westernfnlAranui has since been banned from the league after rival teams threatened to boycott all games over safety fears[/caption]
The rival Romsey player hits the deck as Aranui — towering over her — immediately offers a hand to help her up.
The clash on Sunday’s match has since sparked outrage across the Victorian netball community with.
On Wednesday, the Riddell District Netball Football League (RDFNL) announced that Aranui and another transgender player from Melton Central have now been banned for the rest of the 2025 season.
The bombshell move came after Melton South Netball Club threatened to boycott all games involving the pair over safety fears.
The league said: “After lengthy consideration and consultation, the RDFNL has ruled that the two transgender participants be excluded from the RDFNL Netball Competitions for the remainder of the 2025 season on the premise that both participants exhibit superior stamina and physique over their competitors deeming Section 42 of the Sex Discrimination Act relevant.”
That section of the law allows sporting bodies to exclude players if “strength, stamina, or physique” could create an unfair advantage or risk.
Aranui — who previously starred in men’s netball — has become a lightning rod in Australia’s growing trans-in-sport debate.
She was named best on ground in a Division 1 grand final for Melton Central, fuelling calls for a ban.
Melton South netball coordinator Melissa Dawson said: “One of the players is six foot something – it’s ridiculous. Netball Victoria needs to put the safety of biological females first.”
B Grade player Erin added: “I went up for the ball and just got pushed and dropped. They’re so much stronger, and I’m genuinely scared I’ll get hurt.”
She said she would sit out any future games against Melton Central if the players remained in the lineup.
Another player added: “It deters women from playing the sport they love. We’ve worked hard to keep girls in the game.”
Women’s rights campaigner Sall Grover also weighed in, demanding Aranui’s immediate removal from female competitions.
“There are many mixed-sex netball competitions at the recreational level,” she said.
“Everyone on those teams is making a choice to participate in a mixed-sex competition.”
Grover, founder of women-only social app Giggle for Girls, warned: “Males on female teams put the females in danger, while taking away the limited opportunities there are for sportswomen.”
She continued: “There are protections in the Sex Discrimination Act for female-only sport — look them up.
“It’s about women having the right to play sport without fear of injury or losing opportunity.”
Despite being ruled ineligible by the Ballarat Football Netball League in April, Aranui was still playing for Melton Central until the RDFNL stepped in this week.
Melton Central president Paul Sinclair previously confirmed both transgender players would continue taking the court while the club awaited direction from Netball Victoria.
Now, that direction appears to be coming into sharper focus.
Netball Victoria has launched a formal investigation, engaging an independent expert to assess concerns raised by multiple clubs and players.
A spokesperson said: “We support and welcome netballers of all backgrounds. That includes gender diverse players who have rights under anti-discrimination laws.”
Netball Victoria’s 2018 policy — developed with Proud 2 Play and based on national guidelines — allows players to compete based on self-identified gender, not legal sex.
But the fierce backlash has put pressure on officials to review how those policies are applied when safety and fairness are raised.
Equality Australia argues against blanket bans, insisting “community-level sport should focus on inclusion and participation.”
But critics say the current system fails to protect female athletes.
Grover added: “Everyone needs to ask themselves why female sport exists in the first place. It’s because male and female bodies are different, and bodies play sport.”
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