Sunbury's withdrawal from A Grade sees one of the most dominant sides of the past decade leave the competition.

Last season was forgettable for the Lions, finishing winless on the bottom of the table, but it was the first time in four years that the A Grade side had failed to win a minor premiership.

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The Lions have also contested four of the past seven grand finals, winning in 2017 and 2013.

Josh Burns, who coached Sunbury in 2021, had committed to another season at the helm but stepped away from the role at the start of the year.

Burns inherited a playing squad in limbo after a core group of six senior players, including Suzie Johnson, left the club at the start of 2020 following the controversial replacement of premiership coach Adam Boldiston.

Johnson, who was the club's netball coordinator at the time, had arranged for Boldinston to stay on as coach and was unaware the club was appointing someone else.

There is hope Sunbury will return to A Grade in quick time.

Netball Australia executive general manager of performance Stacey West has joined the club in a coaching role.

West, whose daughter plays at the club, oversees all aspects of Australia's talent pathway program, including the world number-one ranked Australian Diamonds.

She is joined in the coaching group by Kelly Wood, Tami Hardwick and Janine Hodgson.

BFNL netball manager Gemma Murphy said the league would move to a match-ratio ladder this A Grade season in light of Sunbury's departure.

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